She Always Loved You
by Sailor Moonie Fan
Summary: Darien Shields is a young and successful lawyer. He hasn't lost a single case in his 4 years of being a lawyer. Darien has been able to handle his cases with ease; however, when he gets assigned to a new case, he finds things are difficult. There are many missing pieces to the puzzle that is his case, and worst of all, Darien is reminded of a past he wishes he could have forgotten.
1. Chapter 1

I'm a major lover of mysteries, so here's my attempt at writing one using characters from Sailor Moon. My main inspiration for loving mysteries is Nancy Drew (Nancy Drew Forever!), but what really inspired me to actually write _this_ particular mystery was when I went on vacation, I was introduced to Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All. I loved the game so much, and it got me thinking of a potential story I could create as a mystery, that is, this story. I hope you do enjoy. It is a little darker than my fan fiction series I'm working on right now as well, _Sailor Moon: Eternal Universe_."

This story is rated T because it is involving darker subject matter and references alcohol. However, please do know that I do not endorse nor recommended nor support the consumption of alcohol. I am 100% against it; however, for the purpose of this story, it will be mentioned, but please do remember this note. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy. Please Follow, Favorite, and Review!

**__****__****Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!**

Chapter 1 (**AN: Still thinking of a good name for this chapter, so for now, it's going to be called Chapter 1**).

"Looks like I'm not gonna be able to enjoy that two month break I was semi-looking forward to." A young, 26-year old man spoke to himself as he looked over the papers that were laying on his desk. He sighed and stretched his arms up in the air. "Then again, it is nice to have a different case to handle. I think I've had enough with these regular, run-of-the-mill cases for the time being."

Darien Shields was 26 years old, and he was a lawyer. Yes, that is a young age for a lawyer, but he is very talented at his craft. Up to this point in time, Darien hadn't lost a single case, although he has only been a lawyer for about four years now. Darien had a nice job, obviously, he had two parents who loved him dearly, even though he has become quite distant from them, he lives in his own penthouse that he bought with his own money as he liked to often remind his parents. Life was pretty good for Darien, but if you asked him whether it could be better, Darien would never admit to you that it could indeed get better.

Darien turned around in his chair to look out his office window. He had a nice view of the city from his cozy office, and it helped him to look out the window to clear his head and get himself focused. "It's been a while since I had to deal with this kind of case."

He was deep in thought when he heard a shrill sound disrupt the comforting silence of his office. Darien picked up his office phone. "Hello? Darien Shields speaking. How may I help you?"

"It's me Dare."

Darien turned around so that he was facing away from the window. "Oh hey Drew. What's going on?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd call and find out what you've been up to lately. Are you busy?"

"Not at this very moment. But I will be soon."

"Oh. Got another case?"

"Yup."

"I'd ask you about it, but I know you can't tell me anything."

"You got that right. But I'm sure it'll be in the papers."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Hey, I gotta go right now. My client is coming in."

"Sure buddy. Take it easy."

"Yeah, I will. Take care, and say hi to Rita for me."

"Will do. Bye."

"Bye."

Darien hung up the phone and heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

A young man walked in. He didn't look like a criminal. At least, Darien didn't think so. The man was humbly dressed in a button-up, light blue shirt and khaki pants. He had short brown hair that nearly combed. His face was round, and he had eyes the color of clouds on a stormy day.

"Hello Mr. Nolan. Please sit down." Darien motioned for the man to sit. The client sat down. "So. I've been told that you've been accused of a crime that you vehemently deny to have committed. Am I correct?" The client nodded. "Can you tell me what the crime was?"

"M...murder. Well, attempted murder right now."

Darien nodded. He tapped his fingers together and looked directly into the eyes of his new client, eyes that looked nervous, scared. "I am going to be very straightforward with this question I am about to ask you. Did you actually try to murder someone?"

The client shook his head. He looked Darien straight in the eyes, and Darien was surprised to see that the fear he once saw lingering in them was no longer present. Instead, they reflected a fierce determination. "Sir, I would _never _try and murder a person, especially not her."

Darien's eyebrows scrunched up. "Who's her?"

"Um..." The client squirmed in his chair. He looked up at Darien, who was staring hard at him. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that sir."

"Please...don't call me sir. Just Darien will do. And exactly why can't you tell me?"

"The police told me to keep this whole thing a secret right now, that I can't tell a soul about it."

"Not even your lawyer?"

"Not even my lawyer."

Darien nodded his head, looking away. "Well, I guess I'll have to go visit the police and find out for myself, won't I?" The client nodded. Darien stood up. "Until then, we won't be able to do much right now. I'll contact you once I get more information."

"Alright sir. I'll see you soon."

"Where are you going to?" Darien asked as he gathered some of his things together.

"Back to the Detention Center."

Darien nodded his head. He watched as the man exited the room. He stared at the door for a moment before he grabbed his things and walked out of his office room.

* * *

Darien walked into the station, expecting to see Thomas at the desk. Instead, it was Steve, one of Thomas's friends and fellow police officers.

"Hey Steve. Is Thomas here?"

"Darien! Long time, no see! Yeah, he's around here somewhere. I'll call him for you!" Steve picked up the phone, and then turned to Darien. "What's the issue?"

"I need access to information on an attempted murder. You know the one Patrick Nolan was charged for? I'm his lawyer."

Steve's smile faded. He hung up the phone. "I'm afraid Thomas can't help you there." His face brightened slightly. "I do know who can though. He's a new officer in the area. Just transferred here about a month ago." Steve got up and motioned for Darien to follow him down the hall.

"Wait. Why can't Thomas help me?"

"He isn't allowed to. It's a personal issue."

"Personal issue?" Darien was confused by that.

Steve nodded. "The case...the people involved...Thomas is connected to it. So by rule, he can't have anything to do with it. No handling whatsoever."

Darien nodded, but his head was hard at work trying to figure out how Thomas could be related to such a case as attempted murder.

Darien and Steve now stood in front of an office. Darien read the name on the door. "G. William Bentley." He turned to Steve. "He's handling the case?"

"Yup. He's a bit rough, but a good guy. Believes in serving justice, so he claims. He's all yours."

Darien thanked him and knocked on the door. "Come in," a gruff voice called out.

Darien opened the door and shut it. "Sit down." Darien did so. He looked at this officer. Officer Bentley was a rather big man, bigger than Darien for sure. He was wearing a police uniform very much like that Steve was wearing. He had a mustache and a beard on his square-shaped face. Though he didn't have much hair on his head, Darien figured that the officer had brownish-blonde hair. Darien finally looked at his eyes. He had green eyes that looked rather annoyed, or grumpy.

"So I hear that you're the attorney for our near-killer, Patrick Nolan. Darien Shields, right?"

"Yes, but please, just call me Darien. And I am pretty sure, Officer Bentley, that my client is not responsible for this attempted murder."

Officer Bentley's eyes widened. "So confident, when you haven't even seen the evidence Shields."

"I happen to be a pretty good judge of character, Officer. I can see through people pretty easily."

Darien was pretty sure he saw the officer smirk. "I hope that'll help you out with this case Shields. Anyway, enough wasting time! You didn't just come here to chitchat, did you?" The officer pulled out a folder from his desk drawer.

"Mr. Nolan informed me that the police told him he wasn't allowed to speak of the case details with anyone, not even me. Why is that?"

"We're making a list of people who need to be informed of this case. We're almost done with it. It's this weird new rule they came up with here. I myself was quite surprised by it, but apparently the others here don't really want many people to know about what happened."

"Fair enough," Darien conceded.

"Now are you done with your questions? I really don't want to waste time." Without waiting for a response, the officer began to tell Darien about the case.

"A 911 call was made around 19:53 by a neighbor, an elderly woman who claimed to have heard some kind of commotion in the victim's house at around 19:50. Police arrived at about 19:56 to the crime scene. They had to break down the back door. They took pictures outside the house." Officer Bentley passed Darien some pictures which Darien looked at closely. It was a nice little house, probably not even big enough for two people to live in. It was humble and quaint looking.

"They went all around the house. Finally found the victim on the living room floor. One stab wound to the front. Doctors found a drug in the victim's blood samples, and we highly suspect that the stab wound is where the suspect injected or rather inserted the drug. Victim also suffered a head injury." He passed Darien another picture, where a body was sprawled across the floor. Darien could see the place where the victim was stabbed, as well as a pool of blood near the head. However, the face was concealed with a cloth. Before he could question anything, the officer continued.

"Victim was brought to the hospital. Went into cardiac arrest but her heart was started back up. She's currently in a coma, but doctors say she probably won't make it, given the severity of the injuries and the amount of the drug that was administered." He sighed. Darien could've swore he saw a hint of sadness on the officer's face.

"Why is the victim's face covered?"

He shrugged. "Officers said that it was meant to be respectful to the victim. They thought she was dead. We're getting the image with the face developed."

"And who exactly was this victim?"

"Young woman. Around 26 years old. Not married."

"What was her occupation?"

"Doctor."

Darien looked up in disbelief. "Doctor?!"

"Yup. Young, but very good. One of the best in the area, I've heard _and_ have been told."

The phone rang as Darien read through a record of the doctor's report. "Hello? Yes, that's me…Right…Excellent! Bring it in!" He hung up and seemed excited. "We just got the picture I was telling you about."

Darien nodded, his attention still on the doctor's report. He glanced at the physical description section. "Black hair, brown eyes. 5 foot 5. Occupation: ER Doctor." The rest of the information was about the head injury, the stab wound, and the drug, all of which Officer Bentley had just mentioned briefly.

There was a knock on the door. Officer Bentley called out for the person to come in. Another officer handed him an envelope and left the room.

"So do you know the identity of the victim?" Darien asked as he accepted the envelope from the officer and began opening it.

"Yes. Every officer was able to immediately ID her at first glance."

"Oh? So who is the victim?" Darien asked nonchalantly. He finally got the picture in his hand. His face went deathly pale at what he saw.

**Cliffhanger! At first I wasn't going to make this a cliffhanger because I have a good portion of the second chapter done; however, I thought I would be a little evil and leave you hanging. Can anyone guess who it might be? (I'm sure you will!). **


	2. Chapter 2: Betrayal

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! I didn't expect to get any response at all, so that was super nice! Special thanks to _**TropicalRemix, Nancy67, Artemis630, JazKhanom, and eonsofmemories**_ for reviewing! Sorry for the cliffie! I just couldn't resist it! This fanfic might get a little confusing due to some of the changes I made to some of the characters, but I will make sure to explain them as I go and hopefully make things clearer! Anyway, thanks to all who read. Once again, please do enjoy and continue to review!

I wasn't planning on posting this chapter this soon, but I was so inspired by the reviews I received that I decided that I would, so I hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the first!

Note: This story is rated T because it is involving darker subject matter and references alcohol. However, please do know that I do not endorse nor recommended nor support the consumption of alcohol. I am 100% against it; however, for the purpose of this story, it will be mentioned, but please do remember this note. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy. Please Follow, Favorite, and Review!

**_Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!_**

Chapter 2

Darien downed his third shot and set his glass down. He stood still for a moment before he placed his glass into his kitchen sink, deciding against taking another shot.

He walked past his couch, on which he had haphazardly thrown his jacket and his tie. He opened the sliding glass door and went out to stand on the balcony. He leaned against the cold, steel railing. Unlike his office room, here, on his penthouse balcony, Darien had a breathtaking view of the ocean. He especially liked being near the ocean as the air was always slightly cold. It helped wake him in the mornings, and it helped him relax. His parents had visited the penthouse only once, about three years ago, and they had commented on how cold it was there, climate-wise. Of course, Darien knew that they also referring to his personality.

He wasn't exactly a social person. He was very to-himself and liked it that way. He did have friends, but they weren't best friends, just mere acquaintances who he sees pretty much every day at work. The only real best friends he had were Andrew and Rita. Andrew was adamant not to let Darien become a complete loner, and Rita felt the same way. Of course, there was also Thomas; however, Darien couldn't really see Thomas as his best friend, even though Thomas still saw him as his best friend.

But things weren't always that way. Darien hadn't always been such a loner. 'Things were a lot easier back then,' Darien thought, but then he shook his head. 'No. _No_. I can't go down that path. Not right now. I have a case to focus on.' The case. Darien snorted. 'Oh right. I forgot. This case _is_ going to lead me down that path eventually. I'm sure of it.'

He ran a hand roughly through his hair and sighed heavily. He thought back to what had transpired at the police station.

* * *

_"Serena…Sterling?!" Darien asked, clearly shocked. He couldn't take his eyes off the picture._

_"Yes. That's her." Officer Bentley looked up at Darien, noticing how intently Darien was looking at the picture. His eyes were far away and held many emotions in them. Officer Bentley's eyes narrowed. "You know her Shields?"_

_Darien briefly looked up at the officer, but his eyes turned away from him and the picture he held in his hand. "Um...uh..." 'Great.' Darien thought in his head. 'I'm done for now.'_

_"Doesn't matter if you do or don't. Law office said you're on this case no matter what. What's important is that you're not related to the victim." _(**AN:** **I am not really knowledgeable when it comes to legal things like this, so let's just assume that even though Darien knows the victim, he is still allowed to take on the case.)**

_"I'm not, and...I do...I _did_...know her," Darien responded, making sure to have corrected himself._

_"Care to tell?"_

_Darien was silent for a moment, hoping that the officer would drop the subject. He didn't. "We...we knew each other a long time ago. I went to the same high school with her."_

_"Any chemistry?" Darien looked up, his blue eyes a little wide. "You know what I mean Shields."_

_"Yeah...there was chemistry..." He looked away, his voice getting a little quieter. "A lot of chemistry."_

_"Oh?" Officer Bentley's eyebrows went up. His curiosity was obviously piqued._

_"We…we were going to get married."_

_"What happened?"_

_"Um...I...I broke up with her." 'Why am I telling a complete stranger about this?!'_

_"Tsk, tsk. I thought you would be better than to do something like that Shields."_

_"It was an a-" He stopped himself, considering what he was about to say. "It was for the best, I guess."_

_"Hm...well." The officer regarded the lawyer carefully. "Are you sure you can handle this case, given how connected you were with the victim-"_

_"_Serena_. With _Serena_. And yes, I can handle it."_

_"Okay," the officer said skeptically. "I'll tell the officers working on the crime scene to let you have access. It's off limits to everyone unless they have a permit." Officer Bentley handed Darien a little card. "This is what you have to present to them when the officers ask you to present a pass."_

_"Thanks," Darien replied, putting the pass in his coat pocket._

_"The officers on scene will let you know about any witnesses or people connected to the case who can help you."_

_"Thanks. I appreciate it."_

_"Yeah, whatever. Anything else you need me for?"_

_"Uh, no. That about does it, I guess. Although I will be needing a copy of these documents you have here for the case record."_

_The officer sighed tiredly. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Just go to the front desk where that kid sits."_

_"You mean Steve?" Darien asked, knowing for a fact that Steve would _not_ appreciate being called a kid. _

_"Yeah, him. I haven't really gotten to learn everyone's names here yet. Too much energy and time, but yeah. I'll have someone bring the papers to you there in about five minutes. Sound good?"_

_"Yes, sounds great. Thank you officer for your help." Darien got up from his seat. "I look forward to speaking to you again in the near-future."_

_"Oh, are you? I'm not. Now if you're finally done here, you can show yourself out of my office now."_

* * *

'Steve sure was right. That officer _is_ gruff. Hopefully, I won't have to deal with him too much. I certainly am _not_ looking forward to interacting with him anytime soon.'

Darien turned his gaze from the ocean water to the moon in the sky. A full moon. He stared at it fixedly, only to see an image forming on it. He shook his head and looked down at his feet. The image that Officer Bentley showed him was burned into his memory.

He had always wondered, deep in his mind, whether he'd ever her see after so long, and if so, how, where, and when. But never did he expect things to come down to this. He did not like having the photo of her nearly dead engraved into his mind. 'Then again, my last memory of her wasn't too pleasant either.' His mind traveled back to that fateful day almost five years ago.

* * *

_Darien was sitting in the living room of his apartment, staring off into space when he heard the doorbell ring. "I'll be right there," he called out tiredly, getting up slowly from the couch and shuffling his way to the door. 'I am so _not_ in the mood to see or talk to anyone today.'_

_He opened the door and had to resist the urge to groan in frustration. _

"_Hi Darien!" Serena had a bright smile on her face as she stood at his doorstep. _

"_Serena," he greeted lamely. _

"_Are you alright? You don't look so well," she mused, her once-happy eyes now filling with concern. _

"_Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm okay." He stood there for a moment before realizing how rude he was being. "Please, come in and have a seat." _

_Serena made her way into the apartment and sat down on his couch, right in the same place where he was just recently sitting. She looked a little surprised, then she asked him, "Were you taking a nap on the couch, Darien? I hope I didn't bother you."_

"_No, no. I was just sitting there. Do you want something to drink?" _

"_Well…do you have hot chocolate?"_

"_No. I've got coffee."_

"_Oh, okay! Coffee it is then!" Darien couldn't help but feel a little bad. She had many a time expressed to him her dislike towards coffee, and yet, she was always willing to have it for his sake. _

_He walked into his small kitchen and began making the coffee. He heard the TV go on, as well as Serena channel-surfing. He finally had two cups of steaming coffee, one with cream and sugar, the other black, in his hands as he once more entered the living room. _

"_Thanks." Serena accepted the cup and took a small sip of coffee. "I seriously don't know how you can stand to drink black coffee. I have cream and sugar in mine, and I _still _don't find it as satisfying." _

_Darien nodded his head, but he did not speak a word. This didn't go unnoticed by Serena though; however, she wasn't the kind of person to force anything out of him, which he greatly appreciated. After a few more minutes, when their cups were half empty, Darien sighed aloud, grabbing Serena's attention from the TV. _

"_Serena. We need to talk." _

_Serena looked to Darien momentarily before responding. "Sure Darien." She reached for the TV remote and shut it off. She then turned to face him. He was sitting on a recliner chair near the couch she was seated on. "What's up?" _

_Darien figured that Serena didn't realize what he had said, although, maybe she did, but didn't make a big deal out of it. "Serena…I…I don't know how to say this in an easy way."_

_He watched her move closer to him and placed a hand over his own. "It's okay Darien. Just say what you've got to say however you want to say it."_

_He moved his hand from hers and saw her pull back her hand. He could feel her begin to worry. "Serena…I…I think that we…we…we need to…" He was struggling with this. Despite all the time he had spent thinking about this, he hadn't been able to figure out the best way to do this. _

"_We need to what Darien?" Serena asked slowly. Darien stared into his coffee cup, into the black abyss that was his coffee. 'If only I could go down that abyss. That would beat being here right now.' "-break up?"_

_Darien switched his gaze to Serena as he had heard her say something. "What…what did you just say?" He asked, thinking he had heard her incorrectly. _

_Serena repeated herself. "Is it that you think we need to break up?" _

_Darien stared at her in disbelief. He soon nodded his head. She nodded her head as well and sighed. "I figured that might be it. I can tell it's been bothering you for a while now." Darien chose not to speak. "I actually debated coming over here myself. I guess I just had this feeling something wouldn't go well if I came here, but I had to know." Serena paused to finish her drink. She stood up. "Here, give me your cup." Darien gulped down the rest of his coffee and just handed her his cup. He didn't watch her go to the kitchen, but he heard her place them in the sink. She walked back into the living room, but she didn't sit down. "You said you _think_ we need to break up. Why is that?"_

_Darien was at a loss for words. How was he to explain himself? "Is it because of something they said?" Darien didn't need to even verbally respond to provide Serena with the answer to that question. "Darien," Serena began, shaking her head. _

"_We just can't do this anymore, Serena." He interjected. 'I can feel an argument beginning to brew. I just know it.'_

"_Can't do what Darien? Keep going with our relationship?" He nodded. "Darien. I thought we had this all figured out already. I know we can work through things if we try hard enough. But we can't just give up, like you're suggesting we do now." _

"_It's not about giving up Serena. It's about doing the right thing."_

"_The right thing? Darien, we aren't committing a crime by seeing each other! What's so wrong with us being together?!" _

"_Everything is wrong. We _can't _be together Serena. We aren't _supposed _to be together." _

_Serena stared at him long and hard. "You're…you're serious about this, aren't you?" She asked, the shock in her voice apparent. _

"_Yes…I am."_

_She shook her head. "No…you can't be serious." He didn't budge. "Darien. Listen to yourself. Have you actually thought about what you're suggesting?"_

"_Yes, I did. For this past week, it's pretty much all I've been thinking about, up until the point when you walked into my apartment." _

"_And…what have you decided?" She asked. He could hear the hesitancy in her voice. She already knew what he chose. _

"_I stand by what I said." _

_She let out a gasp. Her eyes were downcast, and he could tell they were filling with tears. "You want us to break up then." _

_He heard her sad voice, and he nodded. "Yeah, I do. Serena…" He tried to concede with her. "It's for the best." _

_He turned from her so that his back was facing her. "Darien," She was whispering now. Darien turned around to face her once more. "Please…don't do this to me." She looked up at him, giving him the perfect view of her heartbroken face. Her cheeks were red. Her eyes were also red and puffy with tears. What hit him the hardest was the look they held in them. A look of betrayal._

"I've gotta stop doing this to myself," Darien spoke into the night air. "Maybe I should have another shot." He then let out a big yawn. "On second thought, I need to sleep." He walked back inside his penthouse and to his bedroom. Without even changing out of his work clothes, he fell onto the bed and in a matter of minutes, went to sleep.

* * *

"Pick up your phone Darien!" Darien groaned a little. "I know you're there! _And_ I know you're ignoring my calls!" He pulled the pillow from under his head and put it on his head. "Darien! You pick up the phone this very instant, or so help me I will come to your house _right NOW!_"

Darien's eyes popped open. Scrambling out of bed, tripping over his own feet, and half-asleep, he finally reached his phone and picked it up.

"Alright, alright. I picked up the phone! Are you happy?" Darien asked, his annoyance very clear.

"Yes, yes I am. Why didn't you pick up your phone?! You had me worried there for a moment."

"Sorry, but I was kind of sleeping." Darien yawned. He closed his eyes.

"Don't you have work today? It's already 8:00 in the morning!" The person on the other line exclaimed.

"Well, I do have work, sort of. But not really at the office."

"Oh, I see."

"How's Dad?"

"Oh, he's good. He went to work two hours ago. He wanted me to say hi to you."

"Tell him I said hi too."

"You know Darien. It wouldn't kill you to come here and visit us you know."

Darien sighed. "Mom. I really _don't_ need this right now."

"I'm just saying. After all, we aren't getting any younger Darien. We're getting old, and so are you."

"I know Mom."

"Did you get a good night's sleep?"

"Yes mom." 'Not really,' he said in his mind, as he didn't want to worry her.

"Have you bought groceries?"

"Yes mom."

"Have you scheduled that doctor's appointment you've been putting off for almost a year?"

"Yes mom."

"Have you-"

"Mom. I'm fine, okay? I've done everything I need to for now."

"I'm sorry Darien. I just worry about you. It's what we mothers do best."

"You can say that again," Darien muttered.

"I heard that. But anyway, I digressed a lot. There was something I wanted to ask you about."

"Go ahead."

"Have you heard anything…anything suspicious lately?"

"No mom, I don't think I have." Darien rubbed his tired eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"So…you haven't heard?"

"Heard what?" He asked tiredly.

Her voice went a little quieter. "About Serena."

Darien's eyes opened immediately. He didn't expect his parents to know. "How did you know?" He demanded.

"We were told by someone." Darien didn't need to ask to know who told them. "So you _did_ hear about it then?" Darien was silent. "Are you okay Darien?"

"Mom-"

"I can understand if you're not okay."

"Mom-"

"I mean, I'd be surprised if you _were_ oka-"

"MOM!" He yelled into the phone, anger apparent in his voice. She went silent. "I really, really, _really _don't want to talk about it, okay? So just drop it!"

There was silence on the other end of the phone. "Well Darien. I'm glad to hear from you. Take care." She paused before adding. "We love you."

"Right. Bye." Before she could say anything further, Darien hung up the phone. He growled in anger, but then sighed. 'I shouldn't have been so mean to her like that. She was just concerned about me. I don't blame her for acting the way she did.' He stood there for a minute, thinking about his next move. "I better get myself ready to go out and do some serious investigation," he said to himself as he headed towards the bathroom.

An hour later, Darien was all dressed and ready to go. He went to his bathroom, in which he had a huge mirror. He took one look at himself. He decided to wear a grey button-up shirt, black pants, and a navy blue jacket on top. "I guess this will have to do for now." With his suitcase in hand, he went down to the parking lot to his red Maserati. Turning on the car, he opened up his suitcase and pulled out a piece of paper. On it was an address. "Time to go visit the crime scene."

**I didn't end this one with a cliffhanger. I kind of wanted to, but I couldn't think of how I could pull it off. Anyway, as to Serena, I did change her physical appearance. She has black hair and brown eyes. I have a profile written about her as a part of another fanfiction where I go into major depth about the changes I made, although there are some differences from that as well. For one thing, Serena has an older brother (I can't say who yet, but you could possibly guess!), there is no Sammy, and she has parents (that is, she isn't adopted, as she was in my other fanfic). Darien _does_ have parents, and he's an only child. There is no Sailor Moon, Sailor Scouts, fighting the Negaverse, but the girls are in this fanfic. Serena is actually an intelligent person, not the way she is in the anime/manga. These are the main differences I think of off the top of my head. Please do let me know if there is anything else that I can clear up in the review section, and I'll be glad to explain if I can. Thanks! **


	3. Chapter 3

**So this chapter is pretty long. Actually, it's the longest chapter I've _ever _written. I hope you're liking the story so far. I've been getting ahead of myself and writing scenes that occur much later into the story, yet I have no clue on what to do for chapter 4. Don't worry though! I'll think of something! Read and enjoy!** **And don't forget to leave a review! I _LOVE_** **readin****g reviews!**

**__****__****Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!**

Chapter 3

"Sorry sir, but I'm afraid I can't let you into the premises if you don't have a pass."

"I know I had it Officer. I just received it yesterday when I went to the station." Darien had searched his coat pockets and his whole suitcase for the pass that would allow him access to the crime scene.

"Sir, I suggest you leave now before we have to make you leave," the officer warned him.

Darien sighed defeatedly. "Officer…" Darien looked at the name tag. "Gold. I don't have the pass with me right now, and I had to drive through a lot of traffic to get here, but I am supposed to be granted access to this house. You see, I forgot to show you my badge." Darien pulled out his shiny gold lawyer's badge. "See, it has my name on it, and if that isn't enough proof…" Darien reached into his wallet to pull out a card. "Here's my ID _with_ my picture on it."

He handed these two items to Officer Gold, who inspected them carefully. He held the ID card up so he could compare the face on it and Darien's. Finally, he handed back them back to Darien and pulled his walkie talkie out.

"It's not that I don't believe you, but I need to confirm with the boss that you actually _are_ allowed inside."

Darien watched as the Officer pressed a few buttons and began to speak into the device. "This is Officer Gold, here on the crime scene #SSDS133. I have a lawyer named Darien Shields here requesting access to the scene, over."

At first, there was a lot of static, but then a voice could be heard. Darien's eyes widened. "Yes, he is to have access to the premises. Why are you calling me?!"

"Sir, he doesn't have a pass with him. He says he got it yesterday."

"Yeah, he did. And he was very explicitly told to _bring it_ with him to show it to you so he could go in. What did he do, eat it?"

Darien winced. "He says he forgot it at his house, and he mentioned how the roads are very busy, so it would take him a while to go back to his home and retrieve it-"

"And he wants to go into the house now without it." Darien wasn't sure if the next sound he heard was static, or a snarl. "Well, I guess you'll have to let him go in for now, since I really don't want to get a call from the law office about it. But you tell that idiot to make sure to _have that pass_ with him next time; otherwise, I'll see to it that he gets reprimanded for it! Severely!"

"Yes sir. Shall I give him a visitor's pass then?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Now I got to go. Over and out."

Darien looked up at Officer Gold, who was beginning to fill out a visitor's pass. "That…was Officer Bentley, wasn't it?" The officer nodded. "He was the one who gave me the pass."

"You better be careful with him. He has a _bad _temper."

'Oh trust me. I figured out that much right now.' "Right. Thanks. Can I have that pass now?"

"Yup. Here you go. Show this to any officer who might come in there and stop you."

Darien pocketed the pass, gathered his things, and walked towards the front door of the house. He halted at the door, and his hand reached for the door knob. Holding it in his hand tightly, he slowly turned it and opened the door. Upon entering the house, his nose was hit with a familiar scent. "Chocolate chip cookies."

* * *

_It was the summer after junior year. Darien walked out of his house in the morning. He didn't have a real purpose for his outing, but of course, he soon found himself at the doorstep of Serena's home, or rather her kitchen._

_He noticed the outside screen door was closed, but the inside door was open. He opened the door and popped his head inside. "Hey, can I come in?"_

_He saw Serena in front of the oven, and she soon turned to face him. "Darien!" She had a bright smile on her face, along with a bit of flour on her cheek. "Please, come in!"_

_He accepted her invitation immediately and sat himself at her table. "I could smell whatever it is you're making at least a block away." He looked around. "So what exactly _are_ you making?"_

_"Can you guess?"_

_"Hm..." Darien put a hand to his chin and rubbed it. "Let me rub my nonexistent beard and think." Serena laughed at that. He sniffed the air. "My guess is..." He looked up at her, one eye narrowed. "Chocolate chip cookies?"_

_She didn't say anything at first. She just turned to the counter top. He figured he was wrong, that is until he saw her holding a tray of cookies. "Fresh out of the oven!" She set the tray down on the table in front of him. "Have a taste, and tell me what you think."_

_Darien picked up a cookie in his hand. It was a little hot, but not enough to burn. He placed it in his mouth, and he could have swore it melted on impact. It was warm, moist, and delicious. "Mmm...This is _so_ good Serena!"_

_"You think so? You can have another one!"_

_Serena was busy organizing some things on the kitchen countertop. She hadn't really been watching Darien for five minutes, so when she finally looked at the table, her eyes widened._

_"You...you ate _all_ of the cookies?!" Her eyes went up to Darien. He was mid-bite, half the cookie in his hand, and the other half in his mouth._

_Darien looked up and smiled sheepishly. "Guilty," he said with his mouth full._

_As he pushed the rest of the cookie in his mouth and chewed on it, Serena was waving a spatula in her right hand and her left hand was on her hip. "Darien Shields. You just ate twelve cookies in less than five minutes! That's not good for your health! And those were cookies I was going to give to the children's center!"  
_

_During Serena's reprimanding. Darien pulled out his phone and held it front of her. _

_Once she was done, she tilted her head to the left. "What are you doing?"  
_

_"Oh, nothing." He put down the phone. "Sorry about the cookies! I didn't know you were going to give them away."  
_

_Serena smiled. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not mad! I'm actually flattered that you liked them so much!"  
_

_"Trust me, I did. But I still feel bad. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"  
_

_"Well, you could help me make another batch of cookies."  
_

_"I'd love too!" He stood up. "Although, I must warn you, I am a terror in the kitchen."_

_Serena giggled. "Oh really?" _

"_Yes. My mother would second that statement."_

"_Well then, I guess I'll just have to teach you, won't I?" _

_Darien watched as Serena bustled about the kitchen gathering ingredients. "Where are your mom and dad?" He asked her. _

"_Oh, you know them. Off on a business trip. How about your parents?"_

"_Same thing." Darien noticed that Serena had everything on the counter top and the table. _

"_Alright, let's get cooking!" She exclaimed, rubbing her palms together. "First, we need to whisk baking soda and flour. Along with that, we need to beat the butter with sugar and brown sugar, and then add the vanilla extract, salt, and eggs to it, and beat it again. Finally, we'll add the flour and baking soda mix and the chocolate chips to that." She turned to Darien. "How about you work on whisking the baking soda and the flour, while I do the other part?_ (**AN: I got this recipe from a website that I linked to on my profile.)**

"_Sounds great." Darien got to work getting the ingredients he needed and moving to his own area to work. "I was hoping I wouldn't get the hard part."_

_Serena looked at him, a confused look on her face. "The hard part?"_

_He nodded. "You know? The beating the butter with sugar…and the other sugar…and pretty much everything else?"  
_

_He watched as Serena laughed at him, and it caused him to be a little embarrassed. "Oh Darien! It isn't that hard. If you want, I'll wait for you to get done with your part, and then I'll show you how the 'hard part' isn't really all that hard."_

"_Okay," Darien conceded. He grabbed a measuring cup to measure the flour. _

"_Here, I'll measure the baking soda. That way, we'll get done faster."_

_Serena had the baking soda ready, and she turned to Darien. He wasn't facing her. "Did you pour the flour into the bowl?"  
_

_"I sure did." Darien turned to face her. "Although I feel like there's a lot less flour in the bowl than what I had actually measured." He gave Serena an odd look. She was holding her hands in front of her mouth and was shaking a little. "What…what is it Serena?"_

"_Um…uh…Darien…" Serena began, hardly able to control herself. She smiled at him. "I think…well…I think I might know where that missing flour is."_

"_What do you mean…wait." Darien grimaced as he came to the realization. "I have flour on my face, don't I?" Serena nodded, grinning. Darien sighed. "Oh well. At least it's just flour and not dirt. My mom'll probably be okay with this. Actually, she might be ecstatic."_

_Now it was Serena's turn to be confused. "Ecstatic?"_

"_Yeah. It's proof that I was in the kitchen, and that despite what I always tell her, I actually _can _survive being in the kitchen." His eyes widened at a terrible thought. "Oh man! If she does think that, then she'll probably force me to help her in the kitchen more often!" He gasped. "And _then _she'll tell the guys! Oh, they'll never let me live with the shame of it!" _

_Serena shook her head at his dramatics, but had a smile on her face nonetheless. "Oh Darien. You really are something, you know that?"_

_He looked to her. "I am?"_

_She nodded. "You are." She turned to the bowl. "Now. About the flour." She added a little bit more flour to the bowl. "There! That should be the right amount. Now, how about _I _whisk these together? I certainly wouldn't want you to get any more floured-up than you already are!"_

_Darien stepped aside. "Be my guest!" _

_So once she whisked the flour and baking soda together and put it aside, she showed Darien how to execute the other part of the recipe. _

"_Okay, so now that we've beat the butter and the sugars, and we added the vanilla extract and eggs, we can finally add the salt."_

_Darien held out the salt for her. "Who would've thought that something as sweet as chocolate chip cookies would have something like salt as an ingredient?"_

"_Yeah. That threw me off the first time I heard it. But I guess it works well." She added the salt and beat the mixture once more. "Now for the best part." She opened the cabinet above her and pulled out a package of-_

"_Chocolate chips!" Darien exclaimed. _

_She stirred in the chips, placed many balls of dough on a big tray and a smaller one, and set them both in the oven. "Now they should take no more than ten minutes to bake." She went over to the bowl with the remainder of the cookie dough in it. "Hm…there isn't enough dough in here for me to put in the fridge and save for later, but I really don't want to waste it either." _

_Darien stared at the bowl, his mouth watering. 'I wouldn't mind having that dough.'_

_As if reading his mind, Serena turned to him, a teasing smile on her face. "Say Darien. You wouldn't want to have this dough, would you?" _

"_Yes!…I mean…I guess I could. Seeing as you don't want it to go to waste. Because, I mean, it isn't like I want it because I_ want_ it." _

"_Mmhm…alright Darien. Whatever you say," Serena conceded, and she handed him the bowl. "It's all yours." _

_Darien took the bowl from her possession, sat down at the table, and ate the dough to his heart's content. In the midst of his dough-eating experience, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw a wooden spoon covered with-_

" _More cookie dough," he said, amazed. _

"_Don't forget to lick the spoon!" Serena told him as he gratefully accepted the spoon and ate the dough off of it. _

_Once the cookies were done, Darien helped Serena pack the ones on the big tray into a goodie bag for Serena to take with her to the children's center. They cleaned up the kitchen, putting away the ingredients and doing the dishes. Finally, they both stood in the spic and span kitchen. _

"_Thank you for all of the help Darien!" _

"_No problem! It was the least I could do after eating all of your cookies!" _

"_Oh, don't worry about that! And for being such a good helper," Serena went over to the countertop and handed him a blue goodie bag. "I made sure to make some more cookies for you. Here."_

"_Oh gee, thanks!" _

"_You're welcome." Serena looked at the clock. "Oh shoot! Look at the time. I've gotta head over there soon." _

"_Right. You want me to drop you off there?" _

"_No, I should be fine. Thanks for the offer though." _

_Darien nodded and went to the door. "See you later Serena! Have fun at the children's center!"_

"_See you, and thanks! I'm sure I will." As he was standing right outside her door, he heard her behind him. "Make sure to share your cookies with your mom and dad when they get home!" _

"_Okay! I will!" Then he mumbled, "I'll give them one cookie, and they can split it in half."_

"_Darien! I heard that!" _

_Darien turned back around, walking farther away from the house. "Don't worry! I'll give them each a cookie!" He smiled and waved at her and watched as she waved back._

* * *

"Sir…sir…sir!"

Darien shook his head. He then turned to see Officer Gold beside him. "Is something wrong officer?"

"No. I just came to make sure that there was nothing wrong with _you_. You've been standing here in this same spot for a while. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I appreciate the concern. I guess I was just thinking too hard."

"That's fine sir. If you do need anything, don't hesitate to let me know."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

Darien turned back to look into the home. Right now, he was in the kitchen. It was smaller than the one at Serena's parent's house, where they had made the chocolate chips cookies together. He decided not to linger in there for too long, so he moved on through the one doorway there into a hallway. There was a door that led to the bathroom, a bedroom, and there was a doorway to what he assumed was the living room. He was stationary in the hallway, considering which room to enter first.

'I don't really think I'll find much in the bathroom, but I'll check it out at the end anyway. So that leaves the bedroom and the living room." He found himself moving towards the bedroom door.

He opened the door and entered the room. It was pretty big, possibly the biggest room in the house. The first thing he noted was that the walls were a light pink color.

'I guess she never did get over her obsession with the color pink,' he thought to himself. His eyes scanned the room. It was fully furnished with a queen-sized bed, which had pink sheets on them, a wardrobe with a mirror attached, a desk, and a closet. He first went into the closet, but found nothing suspicious in there, other than Serena's clothes. He looked on and in the wardrobe for anything that could help him in the case.

'Nope, nothing.' Darien looked momentarily at the mirror, and his eyes went to the bed, only for them to return to the mirror again. 'Whoa,' he began, his eyes wide. 'I _seriously_ need to take a better look in the mirror before I go out. I look like a mess!' He straightened out his outfit and his hair. 'Although, maybe it's just because I'm_ here _that I don't look as good as I usually do.'

He went over to the desk and studied it carefully. There was a pink file peeking out from underneath a pile of papers. Darien scanned the papers briefly and set them aside. He opened the folder, only to find it empty. 'Hm…that's odd. Maybe those papers are supposed to be in this folder.' He tried to open the single drawer of the desk, only to find it locked. 'I'll have to ask Officer Gold if they can open it.'

Other than those things, he found a yellow smiley face stress ball on the desk, along with a container full of pens and pencils, a pad of sticky notes, a memo pad with her name printed on it, and a picture frame that had a picture with her parents in it.

'Oh, that reminds me. I should probably go pay a visit to her parents soon. They probably already know that I'm working on this case, seeing how Mom and Dad know.'

He was about to turn away from the desk when his attention was caught by a red, egg-shaped object on it. It was the only thing on the desk other than the picture frame that wasn't something you would normally find in an office store. He recognized it immediately. It reminded him of long lost and almost forgotten summer day. He could remember that day very well, as if it were only yesterday... (**AN: If you guessed another flashback coming your way, then you're right! I hope they aren't becoming too annoying!**)

* * *

_Summer had officially began a week ago, and this summer was the least stressful one Darien could remember. After four long years, they had graduated high school, and things couldn't have been better. He and Serena were able to spend as much time as they desired with each other and without anyone interrupting them. On one particular day, the last day of June that is, Darien had invited Serena to the garden in their town which was well-known for the huge waterfall fountain it had there._

_"This garden…it never ceases to amaze me every time I come here!" Serena mused as they walked amongst the many flowers._

_"You haven't seen anything yet!" He grabbed her hand and led her somewhere._

_She giggled madly. "Darien! Where are we going?!"_

_"You'll see!" He answered, that mischievous tone present in his voice. At one point, he stopped her and covered her eyes with his hands. "Don't even try to peek, okay?"_

_"Okay," Serena conceded._

_After a couple of minutes of walking, he stopped her and let go of her. "Alright. Open."_

_Opening her eyes, she gasped. She found herself in a little alcove, and in front of it was a waterfall fountain. _

"_Wait a second." She turned to Darien, a questioning look in her eyes. "Are we on the other side of the waterfall?"_

"_Yup!"_

_Serena looked around the area, clearly captivated. "Oh my goodness! This is gorgeous! But wait." She turned to him once more. "Won't we get in trouble if someone sees us?"_

_"No one can really see us. Plus, I've got some...acquaintances."_

_"Like who? The police?" Serena joked._

_"No, silly. The garden owners."_

_Serena laughed. "Now I can see how that would make this okay."_

_"Do you like it?"_

_"Like it? I love it! This is even more amazing! I feel like I could stay here forever."_

_"Me too," he responded._

_After a little while longer of viewing the new place, he heard Serena speak up. "But why?"_

_He looked to her, confused. "What do you mean why?"_

_"Why me? Of all the other girls you could have, why did you choose me?"_

_"Because..." He smiled down at her, and pushed a stray lock of her hair back. "Because sweet Serena. You aren't like the other girls."_

_Serena blushed. "Oh."_

_They stood there for a moment. Darien walked further into the alcove and brought out a basket. "So, I'd say that I made all of this food myself, but then I'd be lying."_

_Serena smiled, rolling her eyes. "And of course, you know I would have a very hard time believing you."_

"_Right, so I figured I would honest about that. But I can guarantee that the food will be much better than whatever I could possibly concoct." He placed the basket down, and pulled out a pink and white checkered picnic blanket. _

_Serena's right eyebrow arched. "Pink, Darien?" _

_He shrugged. "I can't help the fact that my girlfriend absolutely adores the color pink. Now come sit down and eat!"_

_So they ate the nice meal that Darien had bought. Serena was eating her food happily when she noticed Darien regarding her a little weirdly. "Darien, is something the matter?"_

"_No. Why?" _

"_You're giving me that weird look you sometimes have. You know, the one where you look like something might all of a sudden happen to me?"_

"_Well, I was just making sure you weren't having an allergic reaction. I mean, I did make sure that there were absolutely, positively no nuts in any of the food, but I was just a little worried, that's all."_

"_I appreciate your concern for me Darien. And for the record, I'm fine. I'm positive there are no nuts in anything." _

_So they finished eating their food, and finally, it was time for dessert. _

"_So I know this isn't exactly a birthday cake," Darien began as he reached into the basket. He pulled out from it a box. "But I thought it was the next best thing." He opened it to reveal a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting. The words, "Happy B-Day!" were on it. Darien then popped a pink candle on it, and used a match to light it up. Handing the cupcake to Serena, he pulled out his phone from his pocket. "Wait! Before you blow it out, I want to take a picture!" _

_Serena held the cupcake to her face and smiled at Darien's phone as he snapped a few pictures._

_Putting his phone aside, Darien took back the cupcake. "I'll hold it for you so you can make your wish." He then thought of something. "Oh wait! Hold it again please! I need to look up something on my phone." _

"_Look up what?" Serena asked as she once more held onto the cupcake. _

"_The Happy Birthday song." _

"_Darien. You don't need to play it on your phone. Why don't you just sing it?"_

_Darien gave Serena a look. "You really want me to sing it? I don't know if that's such a good idea Serena."_

"_Yes, Darien. I really want you to sing! You're a good singer. Now put your phone away and get to it! I don't know how much longer I can go before I devour this cupcake!" _

_Deciding to do as she wished, he put his phone away and began to sing. Once he finished, Serena closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them and blowing out the single candle. _

"_Yeah!" Darien cheered, provoking a laugh out of Serena. "Here's your cupcake."_

_He watched as she carefully peeled off the paper from the side of cupcake, but then was intrigued when he saw her split the cupcake in half. He then saw her extend her hand towards his mouth, and in it was one half of the cupcake. _

"_Here Darien. I want you to have one half." _

_Darien looked at her, and she nodded. He took a bite out of the cupcake and took hold of the rest of it. They both ate the cupcake. _

"_Mm…this is so good Darien! Thank you so much!"_

"_Anything for you Serena! And speaking of which, what's a birthday without a present?" He asked, pulling out from behind him a wrapped present. The wrapping paper was silver and gold colored._

_"Oh, Darien. You really shouldn't have!" Serena accepted the gift. "Dare I ask: did you wrap this?" _

"_Um…no. I had the person at the store wrap it for me."_

"_I see." She carefully began to open the gift, making sure to avoid ripping the wrapping paper. Finally, she had a white box in front of her. She then opened that. She gasped when she pulled a relatively heavy object out of it. _

"_Oh Darien! This is...this is...I can't even say anything! That's how wonderful it is!" _

_He watched her examine the gift from different angles. It was a musical egg. The theme of it was The Nutcracker ballet, with its deep red color. There was gold trimming on it and little silver jewels that sparkled in the light. On two opposite sides of the egg and the stand on which the egg was mounted, there were drawings of dancing couples. _

"_Go ahead and open the egg Serena."_

_Serena did so, and once again, she gasped. Inside the egg was a figurine of Clara wearing a red gown and holding in her hands a nutcracker. The song, "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" could be heard playing from the egg._ (**AN: I based this present off of a real musical egg. I have a link to the page on which it's featured linked on my profile. Please do check it out. My novice description of it does not justice at all!**)

_"Oh Darien," Serena whispered, clearly moved. "This is such an exquisite gift!" She then looked at him, worried. "This must've cost you so much money though!" _

"_Nothing ever costs too much when it comes to you Serena. Rather, things usually don't cost enough." _

_Serena shook her head and went back to admiring the gift she held cautiously in her hands. She traced a finger over the gold trimming. "This has to be one of the best gifts I have ever gotten," she admitted to him. _

"_I'm glad you liked it."_

"_I do. I really do."_

_"Hey. I have something else for you." Darien reached into his pocket.  
_

_"Oh no! As if all of this wasn't enough, what now?"_

_"Here." He pulled out a chain with a heart locket attached._

_"Darien!" Serena gasped. "It's beautiful!"_

_"And yours." He went around her and clasped the chain around her neck._

_"Thank you!" She brushed her fingers over her neck, grabbing hold of the locket on the chain._

_"My greatest pleasure."_

_A few hours later, when the sun began to set, the two of them were still in the alcove. They had spent a lot of time talking and a lot more time just sitting noiselessly, enjoying each others company and listening to the sound of the waterfall._

_"Oh Darien! This birthday has been great!"_

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"I'm sorry you couldn't be with your parents today."_

_"It's okay. I mean, I understand they're busy. Plus, it's not every day that your boyfriend calls out from work just so he can spend the whole day that he's got planned out with you. That means a lot to me."_

_"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I would've taken you out to a movie and a fancy restaurant afterwards and tried to go all out today, only if I didn't know that you like things simple and modest."_

_"You're right. I do like things simple and modest." She looked out to the waterfall. "Looks like my birthday is finally coming to an end." _

_"It's not over though." Darien motioned for Serena to get up. He got a CD player out, turned it on and pressed play. Soft music came on. Darien extended a hand towards her. "May I have this dance, Birthday Girl?"_

_"You planned everything out perfectly, didn't you?" Serena shook her head. "And yes, you most certainly may!" Serena smiled, placing her hand in his. _

_They danced together behind the waterfall fountain and to the music playing in the background, hidden away from the outside world and lost in their own._

_Darien placed a hand on her cheek. "Serena," he said quietly. _

"_Darien," she whispered, leaning into his touch._

* * *

'I'm getting way too sidetracked by the things here.' He gave the room a cursory glance before walking out the door, shutting it behind him. 'I don't think there's anything in there I need to look at right now.' He now found himself at the doorway which led to the living room.

"Finally. Time to investigate the scene of the crime." He walked in, only to stop dead in his tracks at the first thing he saw.

***Gets underneath desk, ready for the impending attacks* Yes, I made another cliffhanger! I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist. I really couldn't! I have to say though, that you might be disappointed at what it ends up being (maybe I shouldn't be telling you that…). Anyway, this chapter was super-long, but I hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to review, favorite, follow, etc.! Just a note that my college classes start tomorrow, so I can't say I'll be able to update as often as I have been able to, so please do bear with me if I don't get chapters out a lot. But do not worry! I will **_**not**_** abandon this story! Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four is here! Yay! I actually got it done. This chapter isn't too eventful. It goes more into the whole legal stuff Darien has to do. I'm not a lawyer (obviously) so I don't know if everything I mentioned in this fanfiction so far is completely accurate; however, it is _fanfiction_, so let's just assume that it is right. I hope this isn't too boring, but I figured that I've been including _way_ too many flashbacks, so I refrained from one now. After all, this _is_ a mystery too. I might include a flashback in the next chapter though. Depends on my mood at the time and what ideas I have swirling through my head. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy!

Wait, wait! I actually just thought of a great idea! How about _you_ guys tell me whether you want another flashback (or two!) in the next chapter?! That would be totally amazing! Let me know if you want flashbacks in the next chapter (or maybe if you even want the whole chapter itself to be made of flashbacks!). Please do let me know! That would help me out immensely when it comes to writing the next chapter. Also, if you have a particular flashback you want me to write (except for one explaining why Darien broke up with Serena…I have that one planned out already, and this is just too early to include it in here now), then please do let me know through the reviews! Gosh, I'm so excited! Thanks you guys for reviewing also! Now here's the next chapter!

_*******IMPORTANT NOTE: I have a created a poll for the question about chapter 5! It's on my profile page. Please do click on it and cast your vote! Thanks!*******_

_**And to the guest who wrote a review asking me a very important question and to please respond to their review...well if only you weren't a guest! :( I could have sent you a private message explaining the situation. Responding on here is risky. I can't really say if she dies or not...but I will say this: please do continue reading! (And maybe you should consider signing up to be a member here and resend me that review so that I can properly respond to it! I feel bad not being able to directly answer your question). If I did answer your question though, it would sort of ruin the suspense coming up later on in the story and probably ruin the whole story. I hope this was a sufficient reply! If not, I am very sorry! Thank you so much for your review! And please do continue reading the story! I beg of you!  
**_

**_Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!_**

Chapter 4

'Gosh Darien. Get ahold of yourself. This isn't the first time you've seen this!' He thought to himself as he looked down at the living room floor. There, drawn with white chalk, was the outline of Serena's body. (**AN: Just thought I would add this in here for fun, but I read that usually, in these days, chalk isn't usually used. Rather, it's used if the victim is still alive and needs to be hospitalized. I don't know, I thought I should mention that!**) Immediately in his mind flashed the picture Officer Bentley showed him of her. It was weird to think that she had been lying there, in that spot, almost dead. He didn't really want to think of that.

Moving on, he looked up and examined the living room. 'Nothing seems out of place here,' he thought to himself as he walked around.

Just then, his cellphone rang. He flipped it open. "Hi boss. Is something the matter?"

"Your client, Mr. Nolan, requested that he meet with you today, in half an hour here at the office. You don't mind that I told him you'd meet him, do you?"

"No, no. That's fine. I was just looking around the crime scene."

"Ah, yes. A good place to start. I'll see you soon."

"Alright sir. See you soon." Darien hung up his cellphone and sighed. Giving the room one last glance, he began walking back to the front door. 'Guess I'll just have to come back some other time and do more searching.'

He soon was outside and saw that Officer Gold was still there. He walked up to the officer. "Hello Officer."

"Hello there. You able to get a good feel for the scene?"

"Yes; however, I do have an important matter to attend to at the office, so I will be returning here sooner or later. I actually just had a couple of questions about the police investigation, if you don't mind my asking you."

"No. Go right ahead."

"Patrick Nolan, my client, is the one who was arrested for the crime. I was just wondering how that arrest was made."

"Well, one of the victim's neighbors had mentioned that a man who's description matches Nolan's profile perfectly was seen going into the house. However, she doesn't recall him ever coming back out until after the victim was attacked."

"Ah…I see. Is this witness going to testify for the prosecution, do you know?"

"Yes, she is. We got a statement from her, and we also received a statement from the victim's other neighbor, the one who made the 911 call. She won't be testifying though, requested that she not have to come."

"Is there anything else you think I should know officer?"

Officer Gold shook his head. "Not that I think of, sorry. But the rest of the information on the investigation we're doing is with Officer Bentley."

"Oh. Right. Anyway. Thank you for your help."

"Not a problem, and good luck!"

"Thank you."'I sure am going to need it.'

* * *

"Hello Mr. Nolan."

"Sir."

"Do you recall what I said when we first met?"

"Oh…right…sorry, Darien."

"So you requested to meet with me today. Any particular reason for that?"

Mr. Nolan looked away. "My younger daughter…she has this coming week off from school…and she wants to spend time with me."

Darien considered this for a moment. "But you do realize that she'll have to visit you at the Detention Center, correct?"

Mr. Nolan nodded. "Her mother tried to explain the situation to her, and over the phone, _I _tried to explain it to her as well, but she doesn't care. She still wants to see me regardless."

"Right. So I guess meeting now was a good idea then." Darien pulled out a notepad and his red pen. "Alright. I have learned much about this case since we last met, and now, I need to hear the story from you."

Darien held the pen in his hands. "Mr. Nolan. I found out that you went to Serena's house the day she was attacked. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is."

"Why exactly did you go to visit her? Wait. No. Let me hold off on that question. How do you know Serena?"

Mr. Nolan sighed, then began his story. "I'm sure you're aware that she's a Doctor. She works in the emergency department at the local hospital." Darien nodded, listening intently to what his client was telling him. "It was about two and a half years ago. I went to the hospital with my wife and two daughters. My youngest daughter, Hilary, she had fallen terribly ill, and that day, she had been throwing up, and she passed out. We drove her to the emergency department. I ran inside with her, yelling for help. That's when I first saw her, Dr. Sterling."

"She was walking by, writing on a chart, when she heard me. She immediately dropped the chart on the counter and ran towards me. She immediately looked down at Hilary and grabbed her from my arms. She called out to her coworkers, and she brought Hilary into the first room. On the way she had yelled to one of the registrars to come to me and get her registered into the system. My wife, our other daughter, and I went into the room, where the nurses were working hard around her, along with Dr. Sterling." Mr. Nolan had a distant look in his eyes. "It was an awful time for all of us. We were all so scared, especially because Hilary was scared. Hilary is a very brave little girl, and I'm not saying that because she's my daughter. But that night, she looked at me, and she told me, 'Daddy. I'm really scared.' She doesn't like to go to the hospital. She often mentions how the atmosphere is always very cold and how the people aren't really very nice. Of course, this was our first time here at this hospital. We had moved into the area only six months ago."

"Anyway, as soon as Hilary told me that, Dr. Sterling went up to her, held her hand, and said to her, 'Don't worry Sweety. I promise that we'll all take good care of you and make you all better.' And she kept her promise. Hilary got all better. Dr. Sterling…she was so concerned for Hilary that she stayed at the hospital all night after her shift was over just to take care of her. She wasn't even getting paid to take care of Hilary, but she didn't care."

"We thanked Dr. Sterling and the staff there profusely for helping Hilary. Hilary had especially taken a liking to Dr. Sterling, who told her that she could call her Serena. Of course, Hilary doesn't like calling adults by their first name, so she always calls Dr. Sterling 'Miss. Serena.' Things went okay for the most part the rest of that year, until Hilary got sick again. We went to the emergency room again, and doctors found out that she had a tumor." Darien noted how the man in front of him was struggling.

"Mr. Nolan. Please…do take your time. I'm in no rush."

The client shook his head, and continued. "Sorry…I just don't like to think about it. But moving on, they told us we would need to have her got to the operating room straightaway and have it surgically removed. The only problem we had…was that…we didn't exactly have the money for the surgery. The doctor there…he refused to let us go to the operating room once we explained the situation and asked him what we could do. Of course, then who showed up? It was Dr. Sterling. She had noticed Hilary and came in to see how she was doing. She found out about the whole issue, and boy was she fuming. For a polite young lady such as herself, I never would have thought she would have it in her to be so upset. She was about to argue with the doctor, but then she ushered him out of the room. She was very respectful to us, especially when she asked about our financial issue. She didn't press into matters much. All she really wanted to know was about our previous experiences with medical expenses. We didn't have anything this costly since probably Hilary's birth.

She then led us to the operating room, where they did the operation on Hilary. She later came in and told us about how she wanted to monitor Hilary from time to time to ensure that the surgery was a 100% success. We asked her about the payment, but she couldn't, or rather didn't answer the question. Once Hilary was discharged, we went to one of the offices in the hospital to ask about the bill, and they told us it had been taken care of, and that they had nothing to worry about."

"Wait." Darien stopped taking notes at this point and looked up at Mr. Nolan. "How was that possible?"

"Dr. Sterling. _She _paid the bill."

"She did?"

"Yes, although we found out about it much later. Someone had finally informed us that Dr. Sterling was the one who paid for the bill. We found her address and went to her home to thank her properly. We tried to convince her that we would pay her off, but she wouldn't hear any of it. She claimed that it was a part of her duty as a doctor to make sure that Hilary was able to have her surgery, and for us not to worry about the expenses that would come from it. After that, she became good friends with my family and me. She'd sometimes take Hilary and my older daughter, Hallie, out to go do things when she had a day off and they were free. She would even come to our house and check up on us if she had any suspicion that one of us wasn't feeling well."

Mr. Nolan sighed. "She pretty much became a member of our family. The girls love her. My wife and I love her too."

Darien nodded his head. "I see. So, now. About that day when you went to Serena's house. What was the purpose of that trip?"

"Well, you see. Dr. Sterling, up until that point of time, was an emergency physician. She had called my wife the day before and invited us to come over for her to share some important news with us. Unfortunately, my wife had work, and my daughters had school, so I was the only one who could go. It turned out that Dr. Sterling had written another board exam and passed, making her an officially licensed pediatrician."

"Wait. So now she's an ER doctor _and _a pediatrician?"

"Yes. I was quite impressed. The other reason why she called us over was that she and a few of her colleagues were going to open a Pediatric clinic near our neighborhood as a branch of the hospital, and she wanted to have us be the first family registered there to receive care. She even told me that we wouldn't have to worry about expenses until we were finally able to handle them ourselves. When I went to her house, she gave me some forms she wanted me to fill out for the clinic, and she asked me to return them as soon as possible."

"Wait a second. She _gave _you forms to fill on that visit?"

"Yes, she did."

"Would you happen to have them with you at this very moment?"

"I don't, Darien. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. But definitely bring them in the next time we meet. About those files, is there anything on them that proves that Serena had indeed given them to you?"

"Let me think…I don't think so…Actually, I'm pretty sure she signed the forms and dated them right there in front of me before she gave them to me."

Darien nearly jumped out of his chair with excitement. 'Hm…I wonder what the prosecution will say to _that _piece of evidence?' "Mr. Nolan. I have another question. Do you have proof that Serena _did _call you? Like caller id on your home phone?"

"She actually called on my wife's cellphone, so yes. I would believe that there is a record of it."

"Hm…this is looking pretty good."

"What do you mean?"

"If we can somehow get the audio of the phone call from that cellphone and present it as evidence, that'll be good."

"Then I'll make sure to tell my wife to bring you the phone as soon as she can."

"That would be good, thanks. Now, let me look over my notes and see what we've got here so far in terms of an argument."

Darien carefully went through his notes and began developing an argument in his mind. 'So Mr. Nolan's family was called by Serena to come to her house, but only Mr. Nolan was able to go. She gave him documents that she signed for him to fill out and bring back to her. Okay. We'll need more evidence, but now…a motive. What kind of motive would the prosecution come up with for Mr. Nolan wanting to kill Serena? I mean, given what he's told me here, I would think that he owes his life to her. But…still…they must have some motive in mind. Otherwise, they'd have a hard time in court.'

"Alright Mr. Nolan. What I'm about to ask you is very important. I need you to tell me where you were at 19:53 that day when you went to see Serena."

Mr. Nolan thought for a moment. "I was at home, working at my computer."

"At your computer…what exactly were you doing?"

"Typing up my resume."

"Resume?"

"Yes. You see, I'm…I mean I _was _in the midst of looking for a job. I had been laid off from my last one about six months ago. We've been living off of my wife's income since then, and she doesn't make much. She works at a local bakery."

Darien nodded his head. "Hm…have the police looked through your computer?"

"Yes, they have. They have all the files on there I think at their headquarters."

"They must also have information about when those files were accessed. Mr. Nolan. How far away is your home from Serena's?"

"Oh, about fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minute drive…"

"Oh, not drive."

Darien looked up from his notepad. "I beg your pardon?"

"Fifteen minutes walking. My wife takes the car to work, so I walked to her house."

"Oh…well…that's interesting." Darien sighed. "Well Mr. Nolan, so far, things are looking pretty good for us. I think, once I get more information about when you accessed your resume on the computer, I'm sure we'll be alright."

"So…is that all for now?"

"Yes, I do believe so. Unless you have any questions for me."

"I don't have a question." Darien nodded and went to open his desk drawer when Mr. Nolan continued. "But…I do have a request."

Darien gave the man a look. "Yes? What it is?"

"If you don't mind…could you possibly go visit my family, and tell my wife that I'm okay? I haven't seen her since I was arrested. I was only able to talk to her and our daughters on the phone."

"Um…sure…I guess I can do that."

"Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. Here's my address." His client handed him a post-it note with an address scribbled on it. He then walked to the door. "Thank you so much for doing this for me."

"Don't mention it." Darien waved a hand in the air. He heard the door close, and he began to read his notes once more.

* * *

Three hours later…

'I can't see anything else I can add to this argument other than what I came up with when Mr. Nolan was here. And how long ago was that, thirty minutes?' Darien looked up at his clock. Three o'clock in the afternoon. 'Or three hours…'

He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. He spun in his hair to take a look out the window.

"Ugh…another two weeks before the trial begins. I'm gonna have to do some more investigation before then," he spoke to the empty room. He then looked down at the paper Mr. Nolan had given him. 'I'll do this tomorrow.' He turned his gaze back out window again. The view wasn't as nice in the afternoon as it was at night. 'Well…I could go now. I mean, it isn't like I have anything much better to do, other than sit here and waste time going over things again.'

Darien stood up from his chair, packed up his suitcase, put on his coat, and walked out of his office, suitcase in one hand, the post-it note in the other.

**So, like I said in the beginning, do let me know if you guys want a flashback(s) in the next chapter. Majority rules. Thank you, and I hope you liked this chapter, even though I myself do find it a little dull. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Long time, no see! I hope you guys have been doing well! I've been working on homework assignments for college, so I'm so sorry that this chapter came out so late! I think I may have messaged some people saying that the next chapter would be posted in 24 hours, but then I never ended up posting it. I hope you're not mad! **

**Also, thank you to the two people who voted in the poll (I'm not trying to be sarcastic, honest.). I appreciate it that you took the time to cast your vote in the poll. I dedicate this chapter to you, and I do hope that you like this chapter, as it has not one, not two, but THREE flashbacks! **

**Anyway, everyone, please do read, follow, favorite, and REVIEW! Review, _review, review, REVIEW!_** ** One becomes much more inspired to write with reviews! (Plus, I'm kind of obsessed with them, if you haven't already noticed!). And if you have questions, even ones that might be a bit spoilery, please do ask me them in the review section or PM me. I will definitely respond to you ASAP! But please try to ask through your account and _not _as a guest, only because I can't directly respond to a guest question/review, especially if it's one where there might be a spoiler involved. If this happens, I won't be able to answer the question, and then that makes me feel very guilty. So thanks again, and enjoy! I can't say I know when I'll release the next chapter, but it's in the works, that's for sure!**

**_Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!_**

Chapter 5

"So you're Mr. Shields? You're a lawyer, and you're going to representing my daddy?"

Darien tried, but he could not recall a time before this moment where he was being interrogated by a seven year old.

Darien nodded slowly. Right now, he was sitting on a comfy couch in the Nolan household and talking to Mr. Nolan's two daughters, Hilary and Hallie. Or rather, Hilary was the one talking, and he was just responding to her. Mr. Nolan's older daughter, Hallie, just sat there, staring at Darien.

'She looks a bit angry,' Darien thought to himself as he failed at paying attention to the younger child talking to him.

"Hilary? Can you come help me in the kitchen for a second?" Darien heard Mr. Nolan's wife call out.

"Okay Mommy!" She pointed at Darien. "Stay right here, okay? I'm not done asking you questions."

Darien just watched the girl run through the doorway. He turned back and looked at Hallie, who was still staring, or actually glaring at him. 'Is she mad at me for somethi-'

"Are you really going to save my Dad?" She asked, obviously not convinced by Darien's reassuring her younger sister.

Darien straightened up a little. "Yes, I'm sure. Why would ask that?"

"Well, it is hard case isn't it? Everyone already assumes that he did it."

"Well, I'm 100% sure that he _didn't _do it, and I intend to prove that to everyone out there who believes otherwise."

Darien saw the girl's eyes widened. 'Maybe she's finally starting to warm up to me.'

"Yeah, we'll see about that," she muttered loud enough for Darien to hear. She had looked away for a moment before asking Darien. "Did you know her?"

Darien was caught off guard at the question. "Did I know who?"

"Serena?"

Darien hesitated. "I…"

"You did, didn't you?" Darien just nodded. "You guys… were in a relationship with each other, weren't you?"

Darien was surprised at what she had just stated. "How…how did you…"

"Serena…we've been over to her house before. We looked through some of her photo albums. She has a picture of you and her from back when you guys were dating." Darien nodded his head, not really able to say anything in response. "Can…I ask you question?"

"Sure."

"Serena…I never got to ask her this, but since you're here, I might as well ask you. How did you two meet? She told me once that you guys weren't exactly friends at first."

Darien thought for a moment at what the teenager said. He couldn't help the little laugh that escaped from him. "Oh, we weren't friends in the beginning. Not even close."

He noticed that Hallie had leaned forward in interest, and so he decided to go on. 'Well, time for a trip down memory lane,' he thought to himself. His first destination was about 12 years ago.

* * *

**(AN: The flashbacks aren't completely in Darien's point of view like they usually are, just a warning.)**

"_This is a complete disaster!" A young girl declared, throwing her arms up into the air. _

"_It isn't that big of a deal, you know." Another young girl with short, brown, curly hair replied. _

"_Yes, it is a big deal! I might as well just give up at life altogether!" _

_The girl with the brown hair sighed, shaking her head. "You're acting like this is the end of the world."_

"_It _is _the end of the world! To me!" _

"_Serena, don't you think you're overreacting? I mean, it's just one assignment."_

_Serena looked to her friend as though she had a million heads. "'Just one assignment?' Molly! I got an 85%! On _coloring!_ Who gets an 85% on coloring?"_

_"Apparently, you do."_

"_Oh! I'm a failure at life!" _

_Molly sighed once more. "Serena. Please don't be so hard on yourself. Like I said, it's just one assignment! You usually get 100% on all your other assignments, so that should make up for this grade."_

"_I know Molly. But it isn't just the matter of it affecting my overall grade."_

"_What do you mean?"_

_"What I mean is what my parents are going to say when they see this grade."_

_"Serena. I'm sure your parents are quite aware of how well you do in your classes. They won't freak out on you for this."_

"_It's not that they'll freak out. It's that they'll make fun of me for it!"_

_"Oh…I see. That could be a problem. Because, no offense Serena, but you do get easily worked up when it comes to your schoolwork."_

"_I know. I just can't help that I want always want to do well." She sighed heavily. "Not only will they make fun of me for being a perfectionist, but when they find out, _Thomas _will find out too. And if Thomas finds out…well let's just say that I might as well just hide in my room for eternity."_

"_He'll pick on you that badly, huh?" Serena nodded. Molly patted Serena's back sympathetically. "I'm sorry Serena. It's a shame that they're going to have to find out."_

"_It's okay. I'll live. But still…" She thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "That's it!" _

"_What's it?" Molly asked suspiciously. _

"_They won't be able to make fun of me if they don't see this paper."_

"_Okay…" Molly began slowly. "I follow that. But how are they not going to see the paper?"_

"_I'll lose it!"_

"_You'll…lose it?"_

_Serena nodded. "See? I'll crumple it up and throw it behind me! Like so!" She demonstrated what she was going to by crumpling the paper into a ball and throwing it over her head. "See? Simple!" _

"_Hey!" _

_Serena and Molly looked to each other before turning around. Serena's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" _

_Serena watched as the guy bent down to pick up the paper ball. She was surprised when he opened it and looked at what was on it. "Wow. You must be a real idiot to get an 85% on a simple coloring assignment."_

_Serena was shocked. "Excuse me?" _

"_I mean, a kindergartener could easily get a 100% for coloring this!"_

"_It…it wasn't my fault!" Serena's cheeks were beginning to turn rouge._

"_Right…sure." He looked at the paper again and shook his head. "If you get 85% on coloring," he paused, looking up at her. "I can't imagine what grades you get for your other, more important assignments."_

_Serena's embarrassment quickly morphed into anger. She marched up to the boy and grabbed the paper from him. "Give me that! And for your information, you jerk, _I _happen to get excellent grades on my other assignments!"_

_The boy scoffed. "I highly doubt that." _

_Serena growled. "Hmph! Fine! Don't believe me! And anyway, don't you know it's rude to look at other people's papers without their permission?"_

_"Well, it's not like I took it from you and read it. You happened to throw it right at me!"_

"_I did apologize to you before you opened your big mouth! And be lucky that it was just paper and not something else!" With that final remark, Serena took Molly's arm. "Come on Molly. Let's go!" _

_Molly waited until they were a distance away from the guy. She turned to Serena. "Serena! I've never seen you so worked up before!" _

"_Well, could you blame me? That guy was being a complete and total jerk!" _

"_Yeah, but still. The normal you would just sit there and take whatever someone throws at you. You never usually respond, especially not negatively."_

"_He deserved it." She turned around and looked over her shoulder at him. "The nerve of that guy," Serena muttered. She looked down at the wrinkled paper thoughtfully. "You know? I guess an 85% isn't _that _bad of a grade, is it?"_

"_Well, given the way you were acting just a few minutes ago, I would've thought otherwise. What made you change your mind all of a sudden?"_

"_That guy…insulting me like that…Who does he think he is? As if I'd let a small assignment like this and a big jerk like that get me down in the dumps. I don't think so!" Serena began marching off._

"_Serena! Where are you going?!" Molly yelled to her friend. _

_Serena turned around. "I'm going straight home to show my parents this paper! See you later Molly!"_

_Molly chuckled as she waved back at her friend._

* * *

"Wow…you were _such _a nice guy back then, weren't you?" Hallie commented.

Darien couldn't help the red that colored his cheeks. "I will admit I was a bit…of a not nice guy back then."

"'Not nice guy?' You insulted her! I don't blame her for reacting the way she did." Hallie stopped for a moment. "Did you see her after that?"

"Oh yes I did. I saw her just a couple of days later, in the park…" Darien began his next story.

* * *

_Serena held a book up to her face as she walked through the park. It was a nice day outside. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and the park was pretty empty._

_Serena looked up from her book for a moment and sighed happily. This was her kind of day. She went back to reading her book, only to trip and fall flat on her face. She could hear footsteps approach her. "Well, well, well," a taunting voice began. "Not only are you dumb, but you're a klutz too!" _

_Serena lifted her head to glare at the person making fun of her. "You again! What are you doing, following me?!" She pulled herself to a sitting position. _

"_No. But I could easily ask you that same question."_

"_As if I would follow a rude guy like you. I have better things to do."_

"_Oh, and what might that be, coloring?" _

"_Seriously! Can't you just drop it?! Everyone's been making fun of me for that!" _

"_I'm sorry, but I can't because I'm a rude jerk."_

"_No. You're a rude, insensitive jerk!" Serena stood up. "You didn't even ask me if I needed help. I could've hurt myself!"_

"_Well, obviously you didn't. And even if you did need help, who says I would've offered it to you? After all, you did insult me."_

"_Not as much as you insulted me!" Serena huffed. "You know what? I'm just wasting my time and breath talking to the likes of you." _

_Darien watched as she trudged away. He stood there for a moment and noticed that she was coming back. "What? Come back to trip again?"_

"_No. I came back to get my book." She quickly picked it up off the ground and walked away from him, nose up in the air. "Hmph!" _

_Darien was smirking as he watched her figure disappear into the distance. He then shook his head. "Weird girl."_

* * *

"Man. You guys didn't get along well, did you?" Hallie asked.

"Nope, we sure didn't. But the best part was when we were formally introduced to each other. Now _that _is story worth telling."

"Alright, then. Tell it to me!" Darien obliged.

* * *

"_So Serena. I've got a friend coming over today," Thomas said to his sister, who was standing in the doorway of her bedroom. _

"_Oh? Is it Andrew?"_

"_No. I don't think you've met this friend yet. But I'm sure you'll like him. He's a nice guy. Smart too."_

"_Cool!"_

_"Yeah. He asked if he could come over so he could get formally introduced to my family, so try to act normal and welcome him, okay?"_

"_Thomas," Serena began, hands on her hips. "You know that I will be nothing but hospitable to our guest, especially if he's a friend of yours."_

"_A very, good friend. Well, basically, he's my best friend. Just like Andrew."_

"_Right. What reason would I have to be mean to him anyway? After all, a friend of yours is a friend of mine!" _

"_Awesome. I knew you'd understand!" _

_A few minutes later, Serena heard the door open and close, and Thomas coming up the stairs. "Hey Serena! I've gotta get something from my room, but how about you go down and talk to my friend? He's here."_

"_I'm on it!" Serena walked down the stairs and into the living room, where she saw a mop of black hair sitting on the couch. 'That must be Thomas's friend.' Straightening out her outfit and making sure she was presentable, she made her way into the room. "Hello there! My name is…" Serena stopped dead in her tracks. She raised right arm and pointed her finger at the person. "YOU!" She roared accusingly._

"_You," the voice responded dryly. _

"_What are YOU doing here, in MY house?!" Serena yelled at him. _

"_I didn't come here knowing this was your house. I came here to visit my best friend."_

"_Your best friend?! And who might that b-" Serena stopped for a moment. "Oh no." She looked horrified._

_The boy smiled. "Oh yes. Thomas is my best friend." _

_Thomas had, at this point, run down to the living room upon hearing Serena yell. "What were you yelling about? And didn't I tell you to be nice to my friend here?!" _

"_Yes, but I didn't realize that by your 'best friend,' you meant this creep!" _

"_Wait! You two…already know each other?" Thomas asked incredulously. _

_Serena crossed her arms, refusing to say anything. Darien decided to speak up. "Thomas. Who's this crazy girl?" _

_Serena glared at Darien. Thomas answered, "This _crazy _girl is my little sister, Serena." Thomas looked to Serena "And Serena. This here is my best friend, Darien Shields."_

_Darien stood up and walked towards Serena. "I would say it's a pleasure to meet you if we hadn't met already, Serena." He held out a hand to her. _

_Serena examined the hand for a moment, and then looked up at him. 'Well…I guess it _was _my fault for throwing my paper at him anyway. And…he does have a pretty charming smile.' She reached out to shake his hand, only to watch as he pulled his hand away and run it through his hair. Thomas laughed at this and got a glare from Serena. _

"_Hm! And just when I was beginning to think that you were a bit more civil than I had originally thought, you prove me wrong!" _

_The two boys watched as she walked out of the room and stomped up the stairs. They stood quietly for a few seconds before Thomas spoke to Darien. "Sorry about her. She can be…a bit of space case, to be quite honest. She's usually pretty nice to everyone."_

"_Hey! It's fine. I'm not upset. I'm actually kind of amused." _

"_Well…she is a girl. And you know what they say about girls?"_

_Darien smiled and spoke with Thomas. "They're soooo unpredictable."_

* * *

"Not _all _girls are unpredictable, you know," Hallie argued.

"Yes, I know that now, thanks." Darien saw Mrs. Nolan enter the room, and he stood up. "Mrs. Nolan."

"Mr. Shields! Hello! Please, sit down." Darien sat back down and watched as Mrs. Nolan set down a cup of coffee in front of him. Hilary came out with a tray of biscuits.

"Thank you, but you really shouldn't have," Darien said to the woman as he took hold of the coffee cup. He took a sip. "Mm…This coffee is very good."

"Thank you Mr. Shields," Mrs. Nolan responded.

"Please, you sit down too. And just call me Darien."

Hilary sat right next to Mrs. Nolan in the small couch across from where Darien was sitting.

Darien took a moment to examine the woman as she spoke to her two daughters. She didn't look very old, and she had a kind smile on her face; however, he could see the worry lines on her face and the bags under her eyes.

'The poor woman. Her husband's been wrongly accused of committing a crime, she has to work to support her family, and on top of that, she has two daughters to take care of. No wonder Serena took these people under her wing.'

Upon thinking of Serena, Darien shook his head, and then looked to Mrs. Nolan. "Um…there was a reason why I came to visit Mrs. Nolan." She nodded her head, signaling for him to continue. "I hope you don't mind if I ask for your cellphone? The reason I need it is I need to get a hold of a recording of the conversation you had with S…Dr. Sterling that day."

"Ah yes. Of course. Here it is." She handed Darien a blue flip-phone. "I don't use it much really. It's just for emergencies. I had told Patrick not to buy it, but he insisted that I keep one, like I said, for emergencies."

"Right. Thank you very much." Darien sipped the rest of his coffee and set the cup down. "Did the police happen to pay you a visit?"

"Yes, they did." Mrs. Nolan looked away, her eyes sad. "They came here…the day they arrested Patrick." She sighed. "They came a couple of days later to get my testimony."

"I see. So they have your testimony," Darien thought aloud.

"How is she?"

Darien gave Mrs. Nolan a questioning look. "I'm sorry?"

"How is Serena doing?"

Darien realized what she meant, and he looked down, his eyes turning a little dark. "I...I honestly don't know." He looked up and away from the woman. "When I talked to the police, they told me she was in a coma."

"So...you don't know what her condition is right now, do you?" Mrs. Nolan asked defeatedly. Darien shook his head. She nodded. "That poor girl. She never did anything to hurt anyone. The only thing she would do is help whoever she could, and now she's..." The room went completely silent.

Darien's eyes landed on his watch. "Oh man. It's getting late." He stood up. "I really must get going."

Mrs. Nolan and the girls stood up too. "Mr. Shields…I have a question."

"What is it?" Darien asked gently.

"Is…is my Daddy going to be okay?"

Darien couldn't help but feel bad for the little girl in front of him. "Hilary. I promise that your Daddy will be completely fine. I won't let anything bad happen to him."

Hilary smiled. "I knew you would say that, and I believe you." The girl's smile became a bit broader. "Miss Serena was right."

"Right? About what?" Darien was confused.

"She told me you were a good guy. She really liked you."

"Oh…" Darien didn't know how to respond to what the girl had just told him.

"Good luck, Mr. Shields."

"Thank you Hilary." He turned to Hallie, and nodded his head. She nodded her head, and he could've swore that for a millisecond, the corners of her lips were turning up.

He walked to the front door, followed by just Mrs. Nolan. He turned around and addressed her. "Mrs. Nolan. There was another reason why I came here. A more important reason."

"What is that?"

"Your husband…he wanted me to tell you that he's doing fine. He was in my office today, and asked me to come here and tell you that."

"Oh…thank you Darien. For doing that and for everything you're doing for Patrick. It means a lot to him, to me, and the girls."

He shook his head. "That's my job, Mrs. Nolan. No need to thank me. I'll see you soon."

Darien walked out of the little house and into his car, heading back to his home.

* * *

That night, Darien sat on his bed, pouring over his case notes once more. He had obtained Mrs. Nolan's testimony from Steve at the police station (luckily for Darien, Officer Bentley was on a break at the time), as well as the recording from Mrs. Nolan's cell phone.

"Well…I guess this should suffice for now." Darien looked at his paper calendar. "Today's Saturday. The trial starts this coming Monday. The day after tomorrow." He sighed. 'It's a shame they couldn't wait another week. Now Mr. Nolan won't be able to spend time with Hilary or Hallie,' he thought morosely. He let out a big yawn.

Darien shook his head as he took all of his papers and deposited them onto his desk. He then walked over to his head and plopped down on it. "I guess I'll get myself organized tomorrow and prepare my argument." Darien's eyes closed. "Yes…that's what I'll do. Everything will be just fine." With that sentence, he fell fast asleep. But little did Darien know that everything wouldn't really be fine.

**I wonder if you guys caught something important about this chapter (Hint, hint: It has something to do with one of the flashbacks!). Like I said in the beginning, I don't know when the next chapter will be posted, even though I am working on it right now. Please do check often just in case I all of a sudden post the chapter. Thanks! (OH! And for those of you who have also read my series, _Sailor Moon: Eternal Universe_, I have posted chapter five on the second part, so read that too if you haven't already!). **


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you guys so much for the continued support! I never expected this story to come this far, and I appreciate all of you taking the time to read it! As a late present for Valentine's Day, I worked on two chapters this time, so the next one should be posted relatively soon. Enjoy! And Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

Note: This story is rated T because it is involving darker subject matter and references alcohol. However, please do know that I do not endorse nor recommend nor support the consumption of alcohol. I am 100% against it; however, for the purpose of this story, it will be mentioned, but please do remember this note. Thank you! I hope you enjoy. Please Follow, Favorite, and Review!

_**Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!**_

Chapter 6

It was 1 AM. It was pitch black outside, and everyone was asleep. Well, everyone except for a young lawyer who was shuffling through his notes for the upcoming trial.

'I can't believe I slept until three in the morning. I guess having some drinks at midnight didn't really help,' Darien thought regretfully. He had less than eight hours to get his stuff together and ready for the trial that would start at 9:00 that very morning.

Darien stopped his reading to look around his bedroom. Some of his clothes lay on the carpet floor. Books were piled on his desk. However, it was his bed that was the true disaster zone. It was completely covered with his papers.

'I can't even see any sign of a comforter in this sea of papers,' Darien thought. 'If Mom saw this…' He stopped in mid thought and shuddered. "She'd have a heart attack right on the spot."

Darien shook his head. "Focus, Darien. Focus." He turned back to his desk and to the case notes, which he was almost positive he had looked over at least three hundred times.

"So…they didn't find the weapon used to attack her. And Mr. Nolan does have a good alibi. I mean, there's solid proof that he was at his house and typing on his computer at the estimated time of the attack. There's a reason that he had gone to her house, and that recorded phone conversation will prove to be helpful in this case. He has no motive, either." Darien sat back for a second. "Yeah…this should be just fine. At least…it should be enough to prove his innocence." Darien yawned and stretched his arms. "Well, I guess I should get whatever sleep I can salvage."

He set his phone alarm to 7:30 and headed towards the bed. He contemplated for a moment. "I really should move these papers out of the way." He stood still for a few seconds. "Nah. Too time consuming."

So he fell onto the pile of papers and fell right asleep.

* * *

"Stupid phone alarm," Darien muttered under his breath as he rushed into the courthouse. His alarm had gone off, but he hadn't heard it, since he was in a deep sleep. "I can't believe I woke up at 8:15! I'm lucky I didn't hit any traffic on my way here."

He finally reached his destination right outside the courtroom where the trial would commence. There, he saw his client, Mr. Nolan, handcuffed and standing near two police officers.

Darien made his way over to the man. "Hello Mr. Nolan."

"Good morning Darien." The man smiled a little.

"I regret being late. I…had a little issue with my alarm clock."

"Don't worry. It's fine." He sighed. "I guess this is it."

Darien nodded. "Are you nervous? Not to be a bother, but you will have to testify first."

"I understand, and I'm not really. I just want to see my wife and daughters."

Darien could only nod his head. Just then, they heard a voice call out to them. "Defendant? Mr. Shields? Please proceed into the courtroom."

Darien took in a deep breath, straightened up his suit and tie, and entered the courtroom.

* * *

**(AN: So, I don't want to go too much into the trial. I don't really know how these things work. The only thing I have to base this scene off of is the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series, so I'm going to use that as inspiration. The trial isn't 100% necessary for the story, at least, not right now, so that's why I won't include it in this chapter. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! Thanks for understanding!) **

'The world must really hate me right now,' Darien thought as he lifted his glass to his lips. He gulped down the bitter, strong liquid, and leaned against his kitchen counter. He was an absolute mess. He was in his button-up work shirt, which was half-tucked into his pants, was all wrinkled and half unbuttoned. His hair was disheveled, probably from his running his hand through it way too many times.

He sighed, then slammed his fist on the counter top. He put his down on his arm, but then lifted it up as a memory came to mind.

* * *

_Slam! Darien's fist came into contact with the table he was sitting at. He nearly growled in frustration as he looked over the texts on his phone. Just then, a voice interrupted him. _

"_Excuse me, but people are trying to study, and by people, I mean myself." _

_Darien rolled his eyes. "I really don't want to talk to you of all people right now, so please leave me alone." _

_Darien turned away and glared down at his phone, only to feel a presence quite close to him. A presence he unfortunately could not ignore. _

"_Hey. Is…is everything okay?"_

"_Why would you care if it isn't?"_

"_Well…I just wanted to know if something's bothering you. Sheesh. I try to be nice, and I get attacked for it!" _

_Darien wished she would leave, but she didn't. He could still tell she was sitting right next to him. _

"_Seriously. Is there something wrong?"_

_He was surprised to hear that her anger had dissipated into what seemed to be genuine concern. "No…there's nothing wrong. So leave me alone you Meatball Head." _

'_That'll get her to leave for sure!' _

"_You know, you can tell me if something's wrong. I won't tell anyone."_

_Darien turned to look at the girl incredulously. "You? Tell you? You're like my worst enemy! If no one else, I would never tell you!"_

_He saw that she didn't react the way he had expected her to. Usually, she would have been completely fired up, calling him a jerk and yelling at him for being so mean, her eyes burning with anger. Now though, she looked hurt. Genuinely hurt. _

"_I'm…I'm sorry," she stuttered, looking away. "I just thought maybe you wanted to talk about whatever's bothering you, but I guess not. That's okay." She got up and went to her side of the table and gathered her things. She went up to him and said, "I'm sorry for bothering you, Darien. I just wanted to let you know that…despite the way I may talk to you and treat you, I don't think of you as my enemy. I don't want you to think that I do. I know I've pretty much treated you badly, so I deserve to be called an enemy. But…(being your enemy…) that was never my intention." She sighed softly. "I hope you feel better."_

_With that, she walked off. Darien watched her retreating figure. He sighed heavily. 'Maybe I was a bit rough on her. I mean, it isn't her fault that my girlfriend decided to dump me through an internet message.' He felt bad. No. He felt awful, and guilty. _

* * *

Guilty…he was feeling the same exact thing now that he felt from back when he was in the beginning of his sophomore year.

"I can't believe the trial went the way it did!" He said to himself. "I thought this would be a clean cut case!"

'But it wasn't. It isn't. And it probably won't be.' Darien took another sip, hoping that it would drown out the voices in his head. 'I'm not going anywhere!' Darien groaned and sat down on the kitchen floor, leaning his head back against the countertop. He thought what had transpired in the courtroom that very day.

* * *

"So as you can see ladies and gentlemen, your Honor, there is no way that my client could have possibly tried to murder the victim."

Darien was surprised to hear someone tsking him.

"Tsk, tsk. Mr. Shields. Although you do have some good evidence, I'm afraid we have better evidence that is conclusive."

Darien maintained his composure as he listened to the prosecution.

"There is clear video tape footage taken from a street camera that also displays the current time."

The judge requested for the video to be played for the court, and Darien was shocked with what the video revealed. "As you all can very clearly see, the defendant left the victim's house just a few minutes after the victim was attacked!"

Darien heard the murmur in the court, followed by the judge's gavel.

"Order, order!" He then addressed Mr. Nolan. "Mr. Nolan. Can you care to explain to this court this video found of you?"

Mr. Nolan was at a loss for words. Darien then interfered. "Your Honor. One question that has yet to be answered by the prosecution is why. What motive would my client have to try and kill Ms. Sterling?"

"Ah, yes. That _is _an excellent question. Prosecutor Bradley? Will you explain this to us?"

"Yes, I can. Mr. Shields did present some evidence suggesting that Ms. Sterling was helping the defendant with some financial issues. However, it is pretty clear that Mr. Nolan does _not _like the idea of having someone help him monetarily. Probably deflates his ego. Also, recall in his testimony that Mr. Nolan claimed to owe a lot to Ms. Sterling. It is very possible that the defendant became fearful that the victim may, at one point, demand money from him; therefore, not wanting to have to face that potential situation, he went to the victim's home and tried to kill her."

Darien couldn't believe what he was hearing. "And what evidence might you show us to prove this heinous point?"

"Ah, but once I show you my evidence, I guarantee that my 'heinous' point won't seem so heinous." Darien watched as the prosecutor pulled out some papers. "Please refer to the papers labelled 'Evidence D.'" Darien pulled out his copy of the evidence, and before he could go over it, Prosecutor Bradley continued. "This was pulled from Mr. Nolan's computer. As you all can read for yourselves, this is a journal Mr. Nolan kept in his computer. And in it, clearly, he has stated, and I quote: 'I hate having to depend on someone for issues regarding money. I absolutely hate it. I appreciate the help, but…what if she asks for the money back eventually? And what if I can't pay her back at that time, or ever? I'll forever be indebted to her, and…that just won't do. She could even take me to court and have me put in jail for this! I can't think of any way to get out of this mess, except for one way.'"

Darien was shocked, to say the least. Never did Mr. Nolan ever mention that he had kept a journal, nevertheless in his computer.

Prosecutor Bradley ended. "The 'one way' Mr. Nolan was referring to…was murder."

"Wait! He could've been contemplating suicide!" Darien yelled out.

"If he was going to commit suicide, then why would he try to kill the victim? Not only that, Mr. Nolan goes on to talk about how he needs to be there for his family and not let anything happen to them. Think about it, Mr. Shields. If Mr. Nolan did commit suicide, his family would still potentially be threatened by the victim. So the only option he had was to kill Ms. Sterling."

Prosecutor Bradley sighed. "Mr. Nolan is a family man. That much is obvious. Unfortunately, his concern for his family's wellbeing as well as his own led him to take some drastic actions and try to kill the victim. We cannot deny this evidence."

"This trial has been going by for a while now. We will need to continue this trial in exactly one week." The judge slammed his gavel. "Court is now adjourned."

* * *

Darien, upon the end of the trial, immediately left the courthouse and returned to his house, where he had pretty much gotten himself wasted.

And now, here was, sitting on his kitchen floor, feeling near hopeless.

"I didn't even talk to Mr. Nolan about the journal.' Darien yet again ran a hand roughly through his hair. 'I don't understand. Why didn't he tell me about the journal? Could it…could it be that…maybe he really _did _try to kill her? The motive does seem possible.' Darien stared at the tiled floor. "Am I…am I defending a guilty client?" He asked himself aloud.

Next thing he knew, everything faded to black.

* * *

"Ugh…' Darien opened his eyes, only to find himself sprawled across his kitchen floor. He stood up and immediately held his head, which felt like it was being pounded. 'I should've known I'd get a hangover after drinking like that yesterday.'

He went to the bathroom, took a long shower, and made himself a steaming cup of coffee. At this point, he was feeling a lot more relaxed and better, until his home phone rang. He didn't bother to pick it up, and so he just listened to the message.

"Hi Darien. It's me, Mom. I haven't talked to you in a while, and your father and I just wanted to know how you were doing. Give us a call when you get this message, okay." She hesitated for a moment. "We love you very much honey. Take care. Bye."

Darien stared at the answering machine, shaking his head. He turned his attention to the clock. "9:00 AM…Maybe I'll run a trip to the detention center. That'll be a good way to start the day. Clear up this doubt."

So Darien got all dressed up and made his way to the detention center, only to find that visiting hours had changed to being 3 PM to 6 PM.

Darien now sat in his car, thinking about what his next move would be. "Mr. Nolan…he's the suspect in this case. A motive has been established for him. If I want to save him, I've gotta find a way to clear his name…but how? How would I clear his name? He's the only person being suspected…unless…unless maybe…could it be? Yeah, I could do that. Yes. That's the only answer if Mr. Nolan is innocent. Looks like I'll have to approach my investigation from a different path, and I know exactly where to go first."

Darien turned his car on and drove off, his mind determined to find out what he could.

**So I really wanted to post this chapter on Valentine's Day, along with the next chapter. Unfortunately, I got too distracted, but at least it's only a day late! The next chapter is going to be (or already might be) posted, so do check it out. And don't forget to REVIEW! I love reading reviews, and I will definitely respond to your reviews too! So remember: Review, Favorite, Follow…etc. THANKS! And Happy Belated Valentine's Day!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!**_

Chapter 7

Red hearts. Pink hearts. Cupids. Chocolate bunnies. Roses. They all served as a sickening reminder to Darien as to what the date was that day.

'February 14th. AKA: Valentine's Day.' Darien had seen all of these symbols of Valentine's Day on the glass window of the lobby at Sunshine Medical Center Emergency Department. 'Valentine's day…it never really was _my _holiday. Especially not back in sophomore year.'

* * *

_Serena, Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, Rita, and Sabrina were occupying one of the many booths at the Crown Arcade. While the other girls were gushing on about their plans for the day, Serena was reading on her iPod, sipping her chocolate fruit smoothie._

_She was consumed by the story she was reading, but didn't fail to notice through her peripheral vision that Sabrina was making a grab for her glass. Quickly, Serena took hold of her smoothie and pulled it away._

_"Sorry Sabrina. But I have great peripheral vision," Serena quipped as she took a long sip. _

_Sabrina just frowned while Rita spoke across the table to Serena. "So do you have any plans today Serena?"  
_

_Serena scoffed. "When do I ever have plans on Valentine's Day?"  
_

_"She has a point there," Lita answered.  
_

_"Hey look! There's another victim!" Mina said excitedly, looking to the counter.  
_

_All the girls, except Serena, looked with interest. Serena noticed that their attention was focused elsewhere, and she looked.  
_

_There she saw, behind the counter was Andrew, and sitting at the counter was Darien. A girl, probably another sophomore, went up to him, eyes all excited. After a few words were exchanged between her and Darien, she walked away, all sad.  
_

_"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Poor girl. Didn't stand a chance," Serena mused, shaking her head slightly as she returned to her iPod.  
_

_"That's the ninth girl he's rejected today!" Raye said as the girls moved their eyes away.  
_

_"Do you think he'll ever choose a girl to be his valentine?" Amy asked.  
_

_"Maybe. Who knows?" Rita answered.  
_

_"Or maybe...he's not looking for a girl," Mina began.  
_

_"What do you mean?" Sabrina asked, although she had the notion that she knew what Mina was suggesting.  
_

_"What? What is it?" Lita asked eagerly.  
_

_"Darien could be...you know," Mina looked around before she spoke a little quieter. "Gay."  
_

_The girls looked to Serena, who had begun coughing after choking on her smoothie. Sabrina hit her back hard, and Rita handed her some napkins.  
_

_"Thanks," she said, wiping herself off.  
_

_"You alright Serena?" Amy asked.  
_

_"Yes, I am thanks." She then looked to Mina. "Really Mina? Really?"  
_

_"What?! You don't see him with any girls. And I mean, in this day and age, you never know."  
_

_Serena rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Carry on girls. Sorry to interrupt the conversation."  
_

_"Well Serena. You sure are dressed up for the occasion," Raye observed.  
_

_"I'm wearing a green shirt," Serena answered, pointing to her green t-shirt. "It might as well be St. Patrick's Day."  
_

_"Well, your sweatpants are pink, and that's a Valentine's Day color, right?" Amy asked.  
_

_"Yeah, I guess. But rest assured, I didn't plan it. I just wanted to go out for a jog, and grabbed the first pair of clothes that looked good enough," Serena said.  
_

_"For someone who doesn't really care about her clothes, you look super stylish Sere," Sabrina said.  
_

_"Thanks," Serena answered.  
_

_"Oh! Look who's decided to get on the rejection roller coaster," Raye said.  
_

_"Oh! Who? Who?! Where?!" The girls all started at once, searching the relatively small arcade.  
_

_"Brunette. __Two o'clock__!" Lita relayed.  
_

_Minus Serena, the girls watched the interaction.  
_

_Serena lifted her head suddenly when she heard a hard slam. Turning her head to the direction of the noise, she saw Darien getting up. He turned to the girl near him and spoke aloud.  
_

_"I'm sorry, but I can't and won't be your valentine. And to every girl here who has even the littlest notion to ask me that question, don't, because I can, and I certainly will, refuse you."  
_

_"Why?" The girl asked, clearly angry.  
_

_"Because…because…" Darien was floundering for an answer. He then blurted out, "Because I'm already in love with someone!"  
_

_Gasps were heard through the whole arcade. But Andrew didn't seem as shocked as everyone else was.  
_

_"Who? Who's the girl?"  
_

_"She's...she's in this arcade...in section B."  
_

_Everyone looked to the two booths that occupied section B. One with Twinkle and her cheer posse, the other with the girls.  
_

_"Well, that narrows it down!" A voice called out.  
_

_Darien just rolled his eyes, left some change for Andrew, waved at him, and left.  
_

_"Oh my goodness! What if he likes one of us?!" Sabrina asked excitedly.  
_

_"Sabrina. You're dating Thomas. Plus," Rita added. "As nice as Darien is, I think Andrew is great."  
_

_"Of course you would. He's your boyfriend," Lita said, causing Rita to blush. "He is nice, and he does remind me of an ex-boyfriend I had." The girls groaned at hearing this. Lita then continued. "But I don't think he's really my type."  
_

_The other girls agreed. Mina then piped up. "Maybe he likes Serena."  
_

_Serena looked up, having heard what Mina said. The girls stared at her as she stared at each of them. She laughed, and the girls giggled with her.  
_

_"That's funny Mina. And anyway," Serena leaned back. "I have a theory."  
_

_"Oh, do tell Serena!" Rita said.  
_

_"Yeah! We love to hear your theories!" Amy added.  
_

_"It's pretty simplistic, but okay." She leaned in towards the table, as did the girls, and whispered to them. "So I think Darien lied. He doesn't love anyone, at least not anyone here."  
_

_"Why would he lie about love? That's cruel and unusual!" Lita claimed, with Mina and Sabrina nodding in agreement.  
_

_"Did you see what the poor guy was dealing with? I don't blame him one bit. If anything, given the same situation, I would've done the same thing."_

"_But still…to tell everyone that you love someone that no one has any idea who that someone is and actually be lying about it just because he was being bothered is awful!" Mina said in one breath._

_The girls stared at her for a moment. Then Amy spoke to Serena. "You're probably right Serena."_

"_But there is another possibility." The girls looked to Raye, silently asking her to explain what she meant. "He said section B, and we aren't the only ones who are in section B."_

"_That's a good point," Rita replied. _

"_He _is _a football player after all. It wouldn't be a shock for him to be crushing on a cheerleader," Sabrina said, rolling her eyes. The other girls nodded their heads, chattering._

"_Might I remind you that every one of you sitting at this table, excluding myself, is a cheerleader?" _

_The girls went silent at what Serena had told them. Then Sabrina countered her. "At least we're _nice _cheerleaders, and we're friends with you!" _

_Serena shook her head, smiling nonetheless._

_Later on that day, Darien had found himself at the Valentine's Day carnival, which was crowded with people. He had gone on a few rides, but wanted to sit down a bit. He entered a tent, not realizing what the sign above it said. _

_He sat down at a round table and sighed, shaking his head. "I need to get home. This isn't really my thing."_

"_Hello there dearie!" _

"_AH!" Darien yelled, surprised to see a person standing in the shadows. "Who…who are you?"_

"_My name is Mystic Marina. Didn't you see the sign on the tent?" _

_Darien shook his head. "What kind of tent is this?"_

"_A fortune telling one." The woman came out of the shadows. She was wearing a puffy, purple with matching purple pants and an orange shawl on. A red cloth concealed her face and nose, so he could only see her blue eyes. _

"_Oh…oh. I…I didn't mean to come in here. Sorry, but I'll be going now."_

_Darien began to get up when the woman pushed him back down into his seat. "No! You should stay and at least get your fortune told…you did come into the tent didn't you?"_

"_I'm sorry, but I'm not interested."_

"_Please! I haven't been able to tell a fortune in hours! You know what? I'll even do it for free! Please?"_

_Darien felt bad. It _was _his fault for coming into the tent without looking at where he was going. He shrugged. "I guess there's no harm in it."_

_He watched as the woman sat across from him. She waved her hands around the crystal ball. "Ah…you are a very bright young man, aren't you?" Darien's red cheeks answered that question. "And you have many friends. But…no girlfriend?" The woman shook her head. "Tsk…tsk…how sad. Oh! But wait! You…you have a someone special, don't you?"_

"_S…someone special?" Darien asked, uncertain of what the woman was suggesting._

"_Yes, a someone special. Someone you like, but haven't told yet about your feelings." She looked up at him. "You really should admit your feelings to that person! And what a better day than Valentine's Day, today?" _

"_I'm sorry miss, but I think you've misunderstood…" _

_Just then, they heard a new voice coming into the tent. "Sabrina, where…Darien? What are _you _doing here?'_

"_Serena. What are _you _doing here?" _

"_I'm trying to find Sabrina. She was here before." Serena's eyes fell upon the fortune teller. "Sabrina? What are you doing?"_

"_Hey…Serena," Sabrina said meekly. _

_I should've known!" Darien exclaimed, standing up. He pointed at Sabrina. "You set me up!" He stared at her. _

"_Where did you get that ridiculous outfit?" Serena asked incredulously. _

_Just then, they heard a yell. "Hey! Give me back my outfit, you hooligan!" _

_Sabrina smiled sheepishly. "Okay! Time to run!" _

_The three of them ran out of the tent. _

_An hour later, Darien was at the park where he was going to meet up with the guys. He waved at them when he finally reached their meeting spot by the big oak tree in the local park. _

_He greeted the boys and went to sit in his normal spot. _

"_So Darien! Who's this girl you're totally gone on?" Thomas asked the second Darien sat down. _

_Darien groaned, rolling his eyes. "Not you guys too! Where did you hear this from?" _

_Jadeite, who was called by his nickname Jed, replied, "Word travels fast in this town. You know that, don't you Darien?" _

"_So, in other words, what Jed's really saying is that the girls told us," Malcolm clarified. _

"_Figures you'd find out from the girls," Darien muttered. _

"_So come on Darien! Tell us who this lucky girl is!" Nathan asked eagerly. _

"_I'm not gonna say, Nate." _

"_Darien. We're your friends. You know you can tell us anything," Zack said. _

"_I just don't want to talk about it, okay?" Darien got up and walked off in a huff. 'This has gotten way out of hand. It seems like the whole town really _does _think that I love someone." He sighed, wandering aimlessly in the park._

* * *

Darien grimaced at the memory. He had lied to everyone about being in love; however, he never expected anyone, especially her, to see through his lie that easily. He recalled later on that day, in the gardens, when Serena had confronted him.

* * *

_Darien was deep in thought when he bumped into someone. "Gosh, I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was…oh. It's just you. I take that back." _

_Serena rolled her eyes. "I accept your apology," she said sarcastically. _

"_Seriously, can you go away now? I don't want to talk to you right now." _

"_Right. Then how about you go talk to this girl you love? Or your fan club?" _

_Darien popped. "Girl I love? Fan club? What do you think you're talking about?" _

"_Don't tell me you honestly don't know about your fan club! Did you forget about all those girls who confessed their 'love' to you? And have you not seen all those girls going gaga at you at the arcade and at school?" Serena placed the back of her hand on her forehead, playing as if she was going to faint. Her voice was high-pitched. "Oh my goodness! It's Darien Shields! Oh Darien! You look like Adonis. No, wait! Even better! May I worship your feet and the ground you tread upon? It would be an honor!" Serena then went back being serious. "It's absolutely nauseating!"  
_

_"You're just jealous!" He retorted.  
_

_"Why am I jealous? And who would I be jealous of? The girl at the arcade who's the object of your affections? The girl who doesn't even exist?" She saw his eyes widen. She caught him. "I'm not as blind as everyone else is, Darien. I know you made her up just to escape everyone at that moment. But obviously, it's done you more harm than good, huh?" She didn't need him to reply to know she was right. "Not that you would ever accept it, if you want a little of my advice, here's what I'd suggest. Just admit to everyone that you lied and why. Be honest. Tell them you don't like having all these girls hounding after you. If they don't listen, well...if you do it well enough, which I'm sure you will, then you'll be fine."  
_

_Darien thought for a minute, and he knew she was right. "Maybe I'll do that. Thanks."  
_

_Serena shrugged. Before she turned away, she turned back to him. "But can I tell the girls? I know you'll thank me for that. The sooner they know, the less trouble you'll have."_

_"Sure."_

* * *

"Excuse me…excuse me? Excuse me!"

Darien shook himself out of his trance to find a young woman standing in front of him. He had to look down at her. She was at least a few inches shorter than himself. She was wearing light purple scrubs with red and pink hearts all over it.

"I'm sorry. I guess I spaced off."

"Right. Can I help you with something?" The woman asked. She looked at him with disdain.

"I…" Darien thought for a moment. 'I should show her my lawyer's badge at one point; otherwise, she might not be very willing to tell me anything.' He looked to the woman and smiled. "My name is Darien Shields. I'm a lawyer investigating a case."

"Darien…Darien…that name rings a bell," the young woman said, tapping her chin. "You're a lawyer? What case are you working on?"

"The case involving one of the doctors here? Dr. Sterling?"

The young woman's eyes widened, and Darien could see sadness in her eyes. "Serena," she said quietly. She then addressed Darien. "You're…you're Darien!" She said, recognition in her voice.

"Yes, I am. And you are…"

"Oh! How rude of me!" The woman extended her hand out to him. "My name is Tina! I'm a nurse here!"

Darien shook her hand. "Nice to meet you Tina. Would you mind if I asked you some questions about S…Dr. Sterling? It'd really help me figure out this case."

"Of course! Come right here into the nurse's station!"

Darien followed the girl and sat down at the nurse's station. "I hope I'm not bothering you. Don't you have patients to take care of?"

Tina shook her head. "Today's been a rather slow day. We only have two patients here, and that's a rare occurrence, especially since Serena isn't here." She went quiet for a second. She shook her head. "Anyway, you wanted to ask questions, right? Then, please. Ask away!"

Darien was about to ask when another young woman came and sat down next to Tina. "Hey lazybones! What are you doing?"

"Hey! Can't you see I'm talking to someone?! Sorry Darien. This here is my cousin, Fiona. She's a nurse too. Fiona, this is Darien Shields. He's a lawyer."

"Oh no. Did you finally do something against the law? It's about time!"

"No, no, Fiona. He's here regarding a case about…" She whispered the next part. "Serena."

Fiona frowned. "Oh…" She turned to him. "I'll answer any question you want to ask too!"

"Thank you so much for the cooperation ladies. I appreciate it." Darien pulled out his notepad and began asking some questions about what Serena did as a doctor.

After the twenty minutes of questioning, Darien still couldn't seem to find out anything substantial he could use for his argument.

Just recently, he had asked about how Serena interacted with her patients. "She's absolutely wonderful with her patients! Even the grumpiest ones seem less grumpy when they talk to her," Fiona gushed about her coworker.

Tina started laughing a little. "The only thing she has difficulty with is with guys. Young guys. Like teenaged-guys."

This piqued Darien's interest. "Why is that?"

Fiona began explaining. "You see…Serena's like in her mid-twenties, but if you were to see her, you would easily assume she's 16 or at most, 19. So these young guys will come in and start flirting with Serena, thinking she's just a little younger than her. Of course, she's a smart one, Serena is!"

"What do you mean?" Darien asked, not understanding what she meant.

Tina continued where her cousin left off. "She wears a really fancy ring on her left ring finger, so guys often assumed she's married, or at least engaged, and she doesn't tell them they're wrong."

"I see…" Darien nodded his head then sighed. "I guess that's all I need to know for the time being." He stood up, as did the two nurses. "Thank you very much for the cooperation ladies. This should prove to be helpful in my case." They nodded.

Darien was walking out of the nurse's station when he stopped on the way. There was a board with pictures of the staff members of the department. What had caught Darien's eye was the picture of Serena. He stood right in front of it and stared at it, mesmerized. 'She…she hasn't changed a bit.'

She was wearing a white coat over her pink scrubs, holding a clipboard in her arm and a baby blue stethoscope around her neck. She had a bright smile on her face. He didn't realize his hand had reached up to touch the glass where her picture was.

"She talked about you." Darien turned to look at Tina. "She told us about your relationship, and how you guys broke up." Darien nodded. "She was never mad at you Darien. She knew why you broke up with her. She was just sad. That's all."

"She's at the main hospital. You can go visit her, if you want to."

Darien thought about Fiona's suggestion. "I…don't think I have time." She nodded. "Thanks you two. Bye."

Darien left the building and drove home. It was 11:30 AM when he got there.

"Hm…maybe I'll take a nap, and then I can go to the detention center again."

* * *

Darien now found himself sitting on one side of the glass, and on the other side was Mr. Nolan. Neither person said a word.

"Mr. Nolan. I know I asked you this question once, but I have to ask you again." Darien looked up at the man. "Did you try to kill S…Dr. Sterling?"

"No Darien. I didn't." Mr. Nolan looked away. "I know that evidence the prosecution presented did seem incriminating. I know I would've thought that. But I've been meaning to tell you something about it."

Darien's eyebrows furrowed, but he nodded, signaling for Mr. Nolan to continue. "It is true that I kept a journal. But Darien…that entry they found…that wasn't really mine."

"What?" Darien asked in disbelief.

"That entry they read…I never wrote that."

"You didn't? But how…"

"I don't know. All I know is that I didn't write whatever it was they read. I was into writing a lot, so one of my professors suggested that I keep a journal documenting any kind of ideas that popped into my head. I never wrote any personal matters in it."

"That's…good to know." Darien was still confused. "The main question here is…how did they pass that off as evidence? Because technically…no…that _is…_forged evidence. They aren't allowed to present evidence that's fake." Darien shook his head. "There's something fishy going on here. And I don't like it one bit." His eyes went to Mr. Nolan. "Someone's deliberately trying to frame you of this crime. The question is, why? Do you have any enemies Mr. Nolan?"

"No…Who would be enemies with a failure like me?"

"Mr. Nolan. You are _not _a failure. I can tell you're trying very hard for your family's sake to get a job. Unfortunately, it seems like your time just isn't here right now. But I am sure that it will come by soon. And I _will _prove your innocence, no matter what. I promise."

Patrick looked up at Darien, and smiled. "Thank you Darien. I know you will."

* * *

That night, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, Darien thought about his day. "Why would someone forge evidence? No one has a grudge against Mr. Nolan…So…who…who could have done this? And more so, why? Why blame an innocent man for such an awful crime?" Darien couldn't make any sense of it. "Maybe I should go talk to Officer Bentley tomorrow." Darien grimaced at the thought of having to talk to the grumpy policeman. "Oh well…I'll worry about that in the morning," he yawned, his eyes feeling very droopy.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. You're telling me that that journal entry…was forged?"

Darien wanted to bolt out of the room. Officer Bentley's face was tomato red, and he was glaring at Darien. 'If looks could kill, I'd been killed a thousand times minimum,' Darien said in his mind. He gulped hard and nodded his head. "Yes…that's what I believe to be true."

The officer slammed his hands on his desk. "I won't stand for this!" He reached for his phone, picked it up, and dialed a number. "Hello? Steve? I want you to find out whether that journal evidence used in Patrick Nolan's case was by any slim chance forged. You got it? I want to find out as soon as possible. Understand? Good!" He slammed the phone shut and returned to glaring at Darien. He snarled at him. "You listen here, and you listen close, Shields. If I find out that that journal entry _wasn't _forged, you will be in some very serious trouble. Understand?"

Darien nodded quickly. "Y…yes sir."

Officer Bentley gave him a curt nod. "Right. Now…" He folded his hands in front of him. "What else was it that you wanted?"

Darien shook himself. "I…I need to find out about the drug used on the victim."

"Ah yes. The drug." Officer Bentley pulled a couple of papers from his case file. "The drug was identified as being some new kind of sedative recently developed. It's supposed to be helpful, but if distributed at high doses, it has proven to be fatal."

Darien nodded. "Did you happen to find out what kind of weapon was used to produce the stab wound?"

"This was odd, but the results we received claim that a needle was used to inject the drug into the victim, and the weapon was a syringe."

"A _syringe_?"

"Not just a syringe. A 1000 mL syringe."

"Whoa!" Darien said. "That's a pretty big syringe."

"It sure is. We've still yet to figure out how the suspect could've acquired this and the drug."

Darien thought of what Officer Bentley said. 'That's true. How could Mr. Nolan have gotten those medical supplies? This information could work to my advantage.'

Darien realized that Officer Bentley was still staring at him. "Oh. I guess that wraps up my visit. May I get a copy of the drug test and the document stating the weapon?"

'Yeah, yeah. Pick it up at the front desk."

"Thanks Officer Bentley." Walking out of the station, Darien had a little bounce in his step. 'Once they find out that the journal entry was forged, and with this proof of the drug and syringe, Mr. Nolan will be found innocent. I just know it!'

**I hope you guys liked this chapter (especially those of you have been looking forward to the sailor scouts *wink, wink*). I hope the scouts don't seem to out of character. I tried to make them as close to their real characters as possible. I'll make sure to do better with them the next time I mention them in the story. (Let me know if you have any suggestions for me! I like suggestions! And comments and questions too! They all help me write better!) This chapter has been posted a little later than I wanted, but at least I finally got it done! It's a lot longer than most of the other chapters. I hope you like it. The next chapter should be a little interesting. I think we might skip a week and go to the second day of the trial, or I may not. Let me know if you're eager to see the next day of the trial. Either way, the chapter will include a special something in it! I've already been chipping away at it, but I can't guarantee it'll be done soon. I'm aiming towards next Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, but we never know what life may throw at us, so I might post it earlier, or most probably, later than that. Anyway, again, Happy Belated Valentine's Day! Please, please, **_**please **__**REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW, etc.**_**Thank you!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! Here's another chapter to the story! I had a semi-hard time writing this chapter just because. I don't know if it's great, but as always, I'll let you, my dear readers, be the judge of that! Please, _please, please REVIEW! I love reading reviews (as I have already mentioned in most of my other chapters!). And as some of you should know, I make sure to respond to reviews as promptly as I can! So remember: REVIEW!_**

**I also want to welcome my new followers! I'm assuming that you're enjoying the story! (I hope you are, because I do enjoy writing it!). Thanks for following me! And for all of my readers and reviewers and followers who've been with me since the start, I must express my gratitude to you to, for without you, I probably might have completely abandoned this story, which would be sad, because it's one that I have come to be very fond of. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**_Thank you so much!_**

**(P.S. Please excuse any errors! I do try to make sure that there aren't any, but I sometimes miss, especially when it comes to punctuation. If you see any mistakes, kindly let me know of them in the review section, and they shall be corrected!).**

_**Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!**_

Chapter 8

He entered the room and noticed there were many cards, some store-bought but most of them hand made. There were "Get Well Soon!" balloons around the room, and a few teddy bears. There were a lot of flowers in the room, all different types, but one type was obviously missing. His gaze then slowly fell onto the hospital bed, and the person in it.

Darien stood about three feet away from the bed, just watching her. Her chest rose up and down, but the doctor said that was pretty much the only thing she was doing. Her right arm had an IV in it, the liquid dripping slowly. His eyes lingered on her face. She looked so...peaceful. Like she was asleep. Like she never wanted to wake up again. He nearly shuddered at the thought.

His eyes traveled over her until they stopped at her hand. Her left hand. He recalled what the young nurse had told him at the hospital. _She wears a really fancy ring on her left ring finger, so guys often assumed she's married, or at least engaged, and she doesn't tell them they're wrong. _

Darien recognized that ring. How couldn't he?

* * *

_Silence permeated the living room of his apartment as he and Serena stood there facing each other. Sniffling a little and wiping her eyes, Serena took a shaky breath in. "So, I guess you'll be wanting the ring back then." She began to pull it off her finger when he spoke up._

"_No. Keep it."_

"_It's okay. I don't mind-"_

"_No, no. You can keep it. I…I don't want it." _

"_Um…okay." Serena's hands dropped back to her sides. Once again the room was silent. After what seemed to be forever, Serena spoke up. "I…I have to go now." _

_Darien nodded a little. He watched as she walked to his door. She gripped the knob and pulled it open. She stood in the doorway but then turned to him. "I guess…this is…goodbye, Darien." She whispered quietly. He looked up at her to see her staring at him, her eyes begging him to call her back, to run to her and stop her from leaving. To take back everything he had just said. But he didn't. He wouldn't. He couldn't. The resolve in her eyes broke. She had finally accepted her defeat. _

_She slowly turned back around and walked out of his apartment and out of his life. _

* * *

There were all sorts of machines in the room, beeping and showing numbers that Darien couldn't really make sense out of. They all surrounded her. 'That's pretty much all that's left of her now. Machines.'

Darien wasn't sure what to do. He'd never been in such a situation before, so he did the only thing his mind thought he should do.

* * *

'This place hasn't changed a whole lot,' he thought to himself. 'There's still the freshwater smell, the mist coming onto your face, the concealment from the whole world.'

Darien sighed. "It really has been four years…hasn't it?" He asked himself. "I guess it'd actually be more accurate to say it's been nearly five years."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a locket. He held it carefully in his hands, seeing his reflection in shiny gold. "Most prized possession…" he whispered, staring off into the waterfall.

* * *

"_Where it could be?" An exasperated voice spoke aloud. _

_Darien looked up from the book he was reading to find Serena, looking down at the sidewalk intently. _

"_Meatball head." He saw her wince as she turned to face him. "What are you doing? Studying the sidewalk?" _

_Rather than counter him as she usually would, she just shook her head. Her eyes showed worry in them, and it made him feel a little uneasy. "I lost something here at the park, and I'm trying to find it." She looked around on the ground desperately. _

"_Figures_ you _would lose something here, given the Meatball head you are." Darien shook his head. _

_If she did hear him, she didn't acknowledge it. Serena sighed sadly. "I can't believe I could lose it!" _

"_What exactly did you lose?" _

"_A locket."_

"_A…locket?" Darien thought for a moment. "Was it...shaped like a star and gold-colored?" _

_Serena's eyes lit up. "Yes! It is! Have you seen it?!"_

"_Even better." He reached into his pocket and held the out the locket in front of him._

"_Oh my gosh!" She ran towards him and gratefully accepted the locket. "Thank you so much for finding it!" _

_He smirked. "You're welcome. You really need to be more careful with your things." _

"_I know." He could tell she felt genuinely bad about losing the locket. _

"_Where did you get if from?" He asked curiously. _

"_I…I actually don't know." _

"_You…don't know?" _

"_I don't remember where I got it from," she began defensively. "I've…just always had it."_

_She sat on the bench next to him, holding the locket delicately in her hands. Just then, Darien heard a melody playing. It was a soft, simple song. It was mesmerizing. 'If I didn't know better, I would think that I've heard that song before,' he thought to himself. His eyes went to the locket, and he realized that the song was coming from it. The lid was open to reveal a crescent moon that was spinning around a round sphere that looked like the Earth. Soon, Serena shut the lid and sighed. _

"_Well, I must say. It's a nice locket." _

_She looked at him in surprise before she stared down at the locket with adoration. "I know. It's very special."_

"_What makes it so special? Isn't it just like any other locket?" Somehow, even Darien didn't think it was like 'just any other locket.'_

"_It's special…to me…because…it's my most prized possession."_

"_Most prized possession?"_

_She nodded. Her eyes got a faraway look in them. She held it to her chest, right over where her heart was. "It means everything to me," she spoke softly_

'_A locket…is her most prized possession? That's weird,' he thought to himself. _

_Little did Darien know at the time that he would become of this treasure._

* * *

'_I'm glad no one's here to see me off,' Darien thought to himself as he sat a gate. In an hour and a half or so, he would be boarding his flight and going to his destination where the college he was going to be attending was located._

_There were many people at the airport. Most of the sights Darien saw were of family members seeing each other off. It seemed like everyone had someone to see them off. He looked down at his boarding pass and sighed. 'I guess…maybe it would've been nice to have someone here to see me off.'_

"_Darien!" A voice called out to him. _

_He looked up and tried to locate the source of the voice. He shook his head. 'No, I probably was just hallucinating. There's no way I heard…'_

"_Darien!"_

_He looked up once more, but this time, he saw who it was. He stood up, shock clearly written on his face. "What…what are you doing here?" _

"_I came here to see you off, of course."_

"_But…how…how did you…"_

"_I have my ways."_

_Darien couldn't believe his eyes. "You didn't have to come you know."_

"_No. I did have to come. Did you really think I would be okay with not having been able to say goodbye to you properly? Because that goodbye we shared yesterday was hardly good enough."_

_Darien smiled. "I…I was hoping you would come here."_

"_I know." Serena smiled back. _

_Darien motioned for her to sit down. "So. What time's your flight?"_

"_I board in half an hour."_

"_Oh. That's not too long from now." _

_He nodded. "So…tell me how exactly you got here?" _

"_Well…it was a little difficult. I was supposed to go out with the girls for this shopping spree that was apparently planned a few months ago. I got myself out of it."_

"_You did? That's surprising." His eyes darkened a little. "Did they suspect anything?" _

_She shook her head. "They didn't exactly tell me about this plan they had made. I guess they forgot to consult me about it, and whether I could make it. So…I told them that I had somewhere to be. And they asked me about it." _

"_Oh? What did you tell them?"_

_Serena shook her head and bowed her head down a little. "I…I had to lie to them. I told them I had a prior engagement. At first, they didn't believe me. But I told them that I had an old friend to visit. They tried to convince me to stay, but I told them that I just couldn't." She sighed sadly. "I hate having to lie to them."_

"_Don't feel bad Serena. You weren't really lying to them. After all, technically, you _are_ visiting an old friend."_

_Serena looked up at him, and a smile appeared on her face. "Yeah, I guess that is true." _

_Darien nodded. "I'm glad they didn't realize that you were coming to see me."_

"_They must've forgotten that you were leaving today." _

_There was a silence between the two for a while. "Things…are going to be different." _

_Serena nodded. "Yeah. We're going to be starting college."_

_Darien turned to her. "When's your first day?"_

"_Not in another month. Your first day is in three weeks, right?"_

"_Yeah." _

"_I'm glad you got into such a great university! In four years, you'll graduate and be a lawyer!" _

"_And in that same time, you'll be a doctor!" _

"_Yeah." _

_Silence came once more. Darien was thinking for a while, but Serena was the one to speak up. _

"_Darien?"_

"_Yeah Serena?" _

"_What…what happens now?"  
_

_Darien knew what she meant, but didn't know what to say. "I…I don't know." _

"_I guess neither of us really considered this, did we?"_

"_No. I pushed it out of my mind as much as I could."_

"_Same here. But…we can't run away from it anymore." _

_Darien agreed with her. _

"_What…should we do? I mean…things were already hard enough, but now…It might be impossible."_

_Darien was silent. He let out a small laugh. "Who would've thought that the girls, the guys, and I would get into the same college and go there?"_

"_You're right. And then, there's me…staying here at home."_

"_But you're going to a great university too!" _

"_Yeah…" She faded off. _

"_Serena…" _

"_Darien…we need to figure this out." _

"_Yeah…I know."_

"_Are we going to actually be able to make things work?"_

_Darien couldn't say anything. _

"_It's a big risk. Especially since everyone else is going to be at the college you're going to. You're all probably going to be together." She turned to him. "Did you find out who you're rooming with?"_

"_Yup. I'm going to be in a room with Jadeite, Nephlite, Zoicite, and Malachite."_

"_Oh…well…that makes things…"_

"_Easy," Darien added sarcastically. "Even better. The girls are going to be on the same floor as us."_

_Serena had a lopsided grin on her face. "Funny how things worked out against us." Darien looked at her. He could tell she was struggling with this. He was too. _

"_Ladies and gentlemen. This is a friendly reminder that Flight 671 will be boarding in ten minutes. Thank you." _

"_That's…your flight, isn't Darien?" _

"_It is." Darien saw her fiddling with her necklace. The one he had given her for her birthday. _

"_Serena. My gate's a little ways down. I should start walking there." _

"_Alright. Let's go." _

_So they walked silently to the gate. There were a few people there, but it wasn't that crowded. Darien checked his watch. "Five more minutes, and they'll start boarding."_

_Serena nodded. They stood there facing each other. Just then, her face lit up. "I almost forgot!" She exclaimed. Darien watched her as she rummaged through her bag, until she found what she was looking for. He watched as her hand extended out towards him, and he gasped. _

"_Serena. Your star locket." He looked up at her. "This is…" _

"_My most prized possession. I know." She smiled. "But you mean a lot to me Darien, so I want you to keep it."_

"_Thank you. And…I actually have something for you too." He pulled out a small little box and handed it to her. "Open it."_

_Serena took the box and carefully opened the lid. In the box was a simple ring. It had a pink heart in the center that was encrusted with clear white crystal that sparkled in the light. Her eyes widened, and she looked up at him, confusion clouding them._

"_It's a promise ring," he clarified. "Deep in my heart, I knew you would come here." He then took the box from her and pulled the ring out. "Allow me." He took her right hand and slid the ring on her ring finger. He noticed the light blush on her cheeks. "This is a symbol of the promise I'm going to make to you right here. Right now." _

_He took both of her hands in his. "Serena. I promise that we will be together. I don't care what the others say and think. I know that you're the one I want to be with, and I'm not going to let anyone get in our way." He sighed a little, but continued on, still strong. "It's going to be hard to maintain a long-distance relationship. Unfortunately, that's the truth. We won't be able to see each other, talk to each other, or even contact each other much, if at all. But I know that if we both work hard and try our very best, we can make it work. And soon, we'll be together again."_

_Serena was tearing up. "Darien. I promise that we'll be together too. I want us to be together so badly, and I know that one day, we will, but not right this moment. We can and will be reunited, and nothing can tear us apart." She then smiled. "I'm going to miss you!" And with that, she began to cry, and he pulled her in for a hug. He gently brushed her hair as she cried in his arms. _

_Soon, she pulled away from him, sniffling and wiping her eyes. "Look at me…crying like a little kid. I should be sending you off with a smile."_

"_It's okay Serena. It's okay to cry." He lifted his hands and wiped the tears of her face. "I'm going to miss you too, Serena." He leaned his forehead against hers. "I'll make sure to call as often as I possibly can without getting caught by anyone."_

"_We could email each other too, just so long as no one notices our correspondence," Serena added. _

_He nodded. "And if at all possible, we could visit each other." _

"_Yeah, we could. And worse comes worse, we'll probably see each other for winter break."_

_Darien shook his head a little. "I think that's just a little too long of a wait to see you. I'd probably go insane."_

_Serena giggled at that. "Honestly, I think I would too." _

_Just then, they heard the boarding call for Darien's flight. "This is the last and final boarding call for all passengers flying on Flight 671."_

_Darien stared into Serena's eyes, which were starting to tear up again. "Bye…Serena."_

"_Bye…Darien." She was able to plaster a smile on her face. _

"_I love you," he whispered to her. _

_He heard her voice crack as she whispered back, "I love you too."_

* * *

"You ran _away_?"

"I didn't know what else to do!" Darien replied defensively.

He could hear Andrew sigh through the phone. "Darien. Seriously. Why would you run away?"

"I don't know. I guess it…it sort of freaked me out. You know hospitals aren't really my thing."

"That I do know. But…to run out of there like that…did anyone see you?"

"Oh yeah. Loads of people saw me. They gave me odd glances, and some of the staff there yelled at me not to run in the halls. I felt like I was in middle school again."

Andrew chuckled at that, but his voice was serious. "Darien…you're gonna have to face this fear soon enough. I mean, this is the only chance you're going to be able to see her-"

"I know Andrew. I know. But…but I just don't know if I can handle it."

"I understand the situation you're in. It…it was hard for me and Rita too. I walked in, and then walked right out upon seeing her. Rita, on the other hand, she was able to stay in there for a few minutes. I don't know what she did really, and I didn't ask her. It's…it's hard seeing her like that. It feels like just yesterday that Rita and I ran into her at one of the malls outside of town."

Darien didn't say anything, only listening to Andrew as he spoke. Finally, he realized Andrew was telling him to do something. "You should go see her again, Darien. Go…and talk to her."

"Talk to her? Andrew, she's in a coma! How do I talk to a person who's in a coma?!"

"Just…talk to her like she's…not in a coma. Like she's just sleeping, but can still hear what you say. After what you did to her Darien, you owe her at least that."

"Right…I'll think about. Anyway, I've gotta go. Bye Andrew."

"Bye Darien. Oh! And by the way, your parents called me, asking if you were okay. They haven't been able to reach you." Darien shut his eyes, knowing what Andrew was about to tell him. "You shouldn't push them away like this Darien. They're really worried about you."

"Okay, okay. I'll call them or something."

"Please do. For their sake. Bye now. And…" Andrew hesitated. "Try to take care of yourself, alright? I…I'm worried about you too."

Darien was surprised to hear Andrew say that, and he knew from the tone of his voice that he wasn't joking either. "I'll try Andrew. That's all I can guarantee. I'll talk to you later. Say hi to Rita." Darien hung up and put his head in his hands. 'Maybe I should talk to Mom and Dad… Tell them about what's been going on with me…'

* * *

"Yeah…so the case hasn't been going as well as I wished it would be. I thought it would be so simple. Boy was I wrong." Darien sighed, and then continued. "Mr. Nolan seems like a nice guy. I feel bad for him though. Not being able to support his family, and now being the prime suspect of an attempted murder case. That's really rough. I can't imagine how I'd feel in that kind of situation. He's being really strong and brave though. I just hope that he doesn't truly lose faith in this case. If my own client doesn't believe I can prove him innocent, then…what kind of lawyer am I?"

He was silent for a moment. "I haven't seen Andrew and Rita in a while. I used to hang out with Andrew a lot when I first became a lawyer. I guess we both just got really busy. Especially me. He goes out of his way to call me, which is nice. He's the only friend I've kept in contact with since I finished college. He was the one who told me to talk to you. I've been a pretty lousy friend to him, now that I think about it. I need to somehow make it up to him."

"Um…excuse me?"

Darien turned around to see a middle-aged woman dressed in green and blue scrubs. "I just need to change the IV bag."

"Oh. Right. Sorry. Do you need me to leave?"

"Oh no. That's not necessary." The kind nurse went to the IV pole and started changing the bag. "You know…" Darien hadn't been looking at her until she began speaking again. "They say it's good for people to talk to individuals in a coma. It's possible that the person may be able to hear you, but they just can't respond to you."

Darien nodded his head, not really wanting to say anything in response. The nurse had finished and thanked him for allowing her to interrupt his conversation. Darien sighed heavily when the door shut, leaving him alone in the room once more. "Can you really hear what I'm saying?" He asked the sleeping figure. "Because it'd be really nice to know that I'm not just talking to the room." No response. "Of course. I didn't expect to get a response." Darien looked up at the clock. Visitor's hours would end in twenty minutes. He looked back to the patient in the bed.

"I guess I should probably get going now." With one last look, he walked out of the room.

**I'm sure you guys all know where I got the inspiration for the airport scene from...I meant to get this chapter out earlier than this, like two days earlier, but I was for some reason lacking the motivation to get it done. I had most of it done, but there were just one or two parts I need to elaborate on. The scouts are going to be in the next chapter, which I've already been working on; however, I can't guarantee it'll be out next week or the week after, because I have midterms coming up in two weeks. But I will try my best. Please do continue to review! I love reading reviews! And make sure to also follow, favorite, share, etc, if you haven't already. Thanks so much for continued support!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! So here's chapter 9! I'm actually shocked that I got this out now. I figured that I probably wouldn't be done with this until next week. Turns out though that I got some ideas in my head, so I was able to write this up quicker. I actually nearly had a slight break-down only because I had come to a complete stand still. There was this one part of the story that I had no idea how I could incorporate it in, and I was really worried that it wouldn't work out the way I wanted it to, but it has (for the time being). Anyway, I think I may have mentioned that this chapter would be more flashbacks and would have the scouts. While it does have the scouts, it doesn't have as much of them as I had originally thought it would. Also, there's only one flashback. I realized that this would be a good chapter to sort of change directions and go back to the mystery. Hopefully, you guys do like this chapter. It might make you a little confused though, especially the part with the scouts and the generals. And for the record, in chapter 5, I had used the original names for the generals, but then I was reading it over, and I didn't really like it. So I changed their names, except for Jadeite. So Nephrite/Nephlite is Nathan/Nate, Malachite/Kunzite is Malcolm, and Zoisite is Zack. So yeah!**

** Please, _please, please REVIEW! I love reading reviews (as I have already mentioned in most of my other chapters!). And as some of you should know, I make sure to respond to reviews as promptly as I can! So remember: REVIEW!_**

_**Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!**_

Chapter 9

_Serena smiled. The park center was even more beautiful at night with all the lights, but then they went out instantly. Serena was never fond of the dark. "Darien?" She began, her voice wavering a little. "Darien? Hehe...this isn't funny..." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm kind of starting to freak out!" _

_The lights came back on, and on the light post was a rose with a note. She looked around for Darien and called out to him. With no response, she went to the rose._

_She read the note attached and chuckled. "A mystery? I love those, but not usually when on a date!"_

_The clue took her to the alcove behind the huge waterfall. She gasped as lights turned on to reveal a breathtaking site. The alcove was decked out with white lights (like the ones used to decorate Christmas trees) with all the lights sparkling like stars in the night sky. Right near the water were multiple bouquets of red roses. _

_"These roses are beautiful!"_

_"Not as beautiful as you!" Darien walked out into the light from the inside of the alcove. "Have fun so far figuring out your mystery?"_

_"Loads, although it wasn't too difficult to solve. So what are we here for?"_

_"Oh. I just happen to know how much you love this place. And I also know you love roses as much as I do."_

_"True, true." They stood for a while taking in the sights for a minute._

_They spent a good portion of the night eating the meal Darien had thought with him and just talking to each other, sharing their many stories from college and what not. _

_Finally, they now stood in the alcove next to each other, silently watching the waterfall in front of them. _

_"Serena. There's something I've been meaning to tell- and ask- you."_

_"Go on," she said._

_They turned to face each other. "Serena. You're such a great person. Smart, kind, intelligent, talented, beautiful, and not to mention, you have a great taste in men."_

_"I might not be in total agreement with you regarding that last one, but I do appreciate the flattery." Serena smiled._

_Darien grinned, and continued. "I don't say this nearly as often as I should, but I hope that it's implied that I love you."_

_Serena smiled softly. "Oh, Darien. I love you too."_

_"But there's something I need to do today."_

_"What might that be?" Serena questioned, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion._

_Darien reached for Serena's left hand. "Serena," he spoke gently. He pulled her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it, causing Serena blush a little._

_Next, he took a step back, all the while still holding her hand in his._

_"What are you doing?" Serena asked quietly, watching his every move._

_"Serena." he paused briefly, then continued. "When I first met you, I made fun of you way too much. I immediately judged you as just being a person who I could tease incessantly. Four years of my life, I wasted picking on you rather than getting to know you better. But then, I was lucky enough to get the chance to learn who you are. As I spent more time with you, I was able to learn what a truly wonderful girl you are. And during that time, I knew, deep down, that I felt something for you. A feeling that no one's ever provoked in me. _

"_Finally we started dating, and I realized that my feelings for you were growing. Whenever we were apart, I couldn't help but wish you were with me. I'd always imagine what you would do or say if you were with me. I wondered what you were doing when I was thinking about you. I missed you so much. I wanted to see you so badly, but I knew I had to wait. Just hearing your voice made me feel better. And of course, I always looked forward to the time when I could be with you again._

"_Every time I heard you laugh, every time I saw you smile, every time I've held you in arms, every time I kissed you, I knew one thing for sure. That I loved you. So very much. So..." He took in a deep breath. He heard Serena gasp as he knelt down on one knee. He put his left hand in his pocket. "I know there are…certain people who don't want us together, but I don't care about them. I know what it is I feel for you, and no one can convince me to change my mind. We can make this work. I just know we can. So…Serenity Rosalinda Sterling. Serena. All I have to ask you is..." He pulled out a black velvet box, and opened it. "Will you marry me?"_

_Serena covered her mouth with her free hand, her eyes widened in shock. She looked at the beautiful ring that sparkled in the box. She then looked at Darien._

_"I...I don't know what to say!" she said breathlessly._

_"Well...maybe something along the lines of no. This is way too fast. I'm not interested right now..."_

_"Yes."_

_He looked up at her. "Yes?" His face fell. He got up to his feet, and shut the box. "Oh."_

_"What...what're you doing?"_

_"I'm sorry."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I should've known."_

_"I said yes."_

_"I know."_

_"So?" She shrugged and shook her head._

_"So? So what?"_

_"I said _yes_." She emphasized._

_"I know you said yes you're not interested."_

_"No. I said yes."_

_"Yes?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"I understand, Serena. It's clear to me that you aren't interested."_

_"Darien! What do you mean?"_

_Darien was frustrated. "What I mean is that I know you're not interested in marrying me!" He turned away from her, so she could only see his back._

_Serena let out an exasperated sigh. "Darien. I said yes, as in yes. I will marry you!"_

_Darien slowly turned around. "Really?" He asked, sounding uncertain._

_Serena's face softened as she smiled. "Really."_

_Darien calmed down considerably. He walked towards her and smiled rather sheepishly. "How about I do that again?" Serena nodded._

_He took hold of her hand again, knelt down on his knee, and pulled out the ring. "Serena. Will you marry me?"_

_Serena shook her head, but she giggled, tears in her eyes. She then nodded. "Yes, of course Darien. I would love to marry you!"_

_He slipped the ring on her finger, got up on his feet, took her in his arms and brushed a kiss on her lips._

_They stared into each other's eyes. "I love you Serena."_

_"I love you too Darien!"_

* * *

'I can't believe she still has the ring…after all this time…and what I did to her,' Darien thought, thinking back to the ring he had seen on her left ring finger.

Darien sighed and looked up at his current destination. He was once more back at her house. He needed to investigate her home more, find any clues that could lead to a not guilty verdict for his client.

He immediately identified Officer Gold at the door. The officer waved at him. "Ah! Mr. Shields. Nice to see you again."

"You too, Officer Gold. Here." Darien reached into his pocket and pulled out his pass.

"Ah. Good! Glad to see you didn't forget it this time," the officer teased. Darien smiled sheepishly. Officer Gold moved aside from in front of the doorway. "It's all yours."

Darien nodded his head and entered the home.

He immediately made his way to her bedroom and to her desk. Last time, he was unable to open the desk drawers as they were locked. He tried to open them again. "It's locked," he stated to no one.

He walked outside to Officer Gold.

"You need something, Mr. Shields?"

"Yes. I was wondering if you knew how to open the desk drawer in the bedroom."

Officer Gold shook his head. "I'm afraid that we couldn't find a key to open it, and quite frankly, no one has cared enough to want to pick at the lock and open it, but you're more than welcome to explore what's in it if you can open it, just as long as you share what you find with me."

Darien nodded. "Sounds good. Thanks."

He entered the house once more and went back to the desk. "Hm…if I were a key, where would I be?" He then shook his head. "Or rather, if I was Serena, where would I put my key?"

Darien thought long and hard. He started searching the desk. He then stopped mid-search when he saw a bright pink post-it note. "The key is in the facts."

"'The key is in the facts?' Would could that possibly mean?" Darien was thoroughly confused. He couldn't recall ever hearing that quote before. "The facts…the facts…the _facts!_" He exclaimed. He shook his head, a small smile on his face. "You're way too clever Serena. You must've gotten this from one of your mystery books!"

Darien looked on the desk once more, this time looking for a box. He found it instantly. It was a small little box with a lid on the top. On the lid, the word, "facts," was written in fancy script. He remembered Serena telling him that she had a box of random but interesting facts she received in college and always kept on her desk.

When he opened it, he saw a piece of paper with a fact written on it. "If you have 3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar." Darien thought about the fact for a moment. "That's right. Huh. Never thought of that!" He then shook his head. "What am I doing?! I need to find that key!" He lifted the sheet of paper, only to find another one underneath it with another fact on it. He repeated the same thing three more times, only to realize that key wasn't it in there.

"Shoot! And to think, I thought I'd figure it out!" He dropped the box onto the desk, but was surprised by the sound it made. "Hm…that's strange." He lifted the box, held it to his ear, and shook it. "It sounds like there's something at the bottom." He opened the box and carefully flipped it upside down on the desk. All of the paper came out into a pile, and at the top, was a silver key.

"Bingo!" He took hold of the key. "This has to work!" He placed the key into the lock and turned it, hearing the light "click" sound it made. He pulled out the drawer and began sifting through its contents.

"Most of this stuff is hospital information. A few documents about newly discovered diseases…hm…a planner?"

Darien picked up the planner and started looking through it. "Looks like Serena was still as organized as ever. She wrote down appointments, get-togethers with her parents. Birthdays. Passwords…I probably shouldn't look at that." He paused for a moment when he noted one of the notes she made on August 3rd. "_His _birthday." In parentheses, she had written, "Maybe I should call him…no. Probably not. Too awkward."

"She remembered my birthday."

Darien searched through the rest of the planner, but didn't find anything significant. He sighed, flipping through its pages rapidly. That was when something fell out of it and onto the floor.

"What's this?" He bent down and picked up a folded piece of paper. On it, Serena had scribbled a few bullet points.

"Meet with lawyer about order." Darien read. "Order? What order?" He then realized that at the top of the page was an email. "To Ms. Sanders. Thank you very much for taking up my case. I tried the best I could to talk to the person in order to resolve the issue, but it seems I have no other choice. I hate to do this, but I see no other way. Please send me an email and/or call me as to when it would be a good time to meet with you to finalize all of the plans. Serena Sterling."

Darien looked back down at the bottom of the paper again, but this time looked at what Serena had circled in red. It was date and time. "This must've been when she met with her lawyer." He folded the paper. "Now this could prove to be very useful. But I better run it to Officer Gold."

Darien once again went to see Officer Gold. Upon informing the officer of his discovery, Officer Gold advised him on what to do. "You need to go see Officer Bentley. He'll want to see this."

"Oh…okay. Thank you very much."

"No problem. And nice find there. None of us were clever enough to figure that out!"

Darien shrugged. "Ah… I don't think I was clever. If anything I just got lucky. Anyway, see you."

* * *

"Hmph. So it seems you found stuff in that drawer." Officer Bentley looked up at Darien. "What good does that do?"

"Well, Officer Bentley. This paper I found made me curious about something. And that's why I wanted to ask you: have you searched the victim's background?"

"The victim's background? Why would I waste my time doing that?"

"Because you might not be wasting your time, officer. I think an investigation needs to be done on the victim's background, that is, I'm speaking on legal terms. I'd like to know if she was involved with any legal cases before. You wouldn't mind searching that for me, would you?"

"Well it's not like I truly have a choice in the matter. I unfortunately have to fulfill such requests. Otherwise, my boss will fire me. He threatened me just yesterday after he found out that I didn't do any of the requests made to me."

"So...I take it then that you haven't looked into the journal page being forged?"

"Nope. But I will. I have to. But Shields. Do you really think you're going to be able to use the findings I get you and the limited evidence you have to prove that guy innocent? I'd say you're fighting for a lost cause. You should call it quits and have that guy plead guilty. Makes things a whole lot easier on yourself, rather than lose the trial by defending a criminal."

Darien shook his head. "As I told you before Officer Bentley, when we first met: I happen to be a pretty good judge of character. I can see through people easily. And Mr. Nolan...he couldn't be the potential murderer. There's something else to this case. Something we're missing."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Come in."

"Hello Officer. Mind if I interrupt?"

Darien looked up to see a man dressed in brown button up shirt and bowtie walk in. He had brown hair that went a little past his ears. He didn't seem to be much older than Darien himself. 'In fact, he might be younger than me.'

"Ah, Don. Nice to see you!" Darien had to hold in the urge to gasp. 'Officer Bentley is actually being nice to this guy!'

"Sorry to interrupt your meeting sir, but I just wanted to talk to you about you know what."

"Oh yes. That _is_ something we need to discuss right now." Officer Bentley turned to Darien. "Alright. I'll get the stuff you need, but you gotta to get out of here now. And close the door on your way out."

"Right…okay. Thanks."

Darien walked out of the office, closing the door behind him. 'I didn't even know he had the capability to speak nicely to someone.' Shaking his head, he exited the police station.

* * *

"Sanders and Co. Law offices. This is Ms. Sonia Sanders. How may I help you?"

"Hi Ms. Sanders. My name is Darien Shields. I'm a defense attorney at Hoffman and Co. Law offices. I'm currently working on a case involving a client of yours, Ms. Serena Sterling."

"Ah yes. Ms. Sterling. I heard about that case. Such a shame…she was a young woman with such promise."

Darien hesitated for a moment. 'She's speaking as though she's already dead.' "Yes. Well, during my investigation, I discovered that Ms. Sterling approached you regarding some order. Would you be able to give me more information about that?"

"I'm afraid, Mr. Shields, that _I _can't give you that information. I was actually just contacted by the police department, and I am only allowed to provide them with this information."

"In other words, it's confidential."

"Exactly. However, seeing as you _are _involved with the case, being the defense attorney, you should be able to obtain the information from the police themselves."

"Right. I didn't realize that."

"I wish I could be of more help Mr. Shields. I'm sorry."

"No, no. That's fine. I appreciate your help. Thank you very much, and have a nice day."

"You too, and good luck with your case. I sincerely hope you win."

"Thanks. Goodbye." Darien hung up the phone and sighed. "Great. Now I'm going to have to go back to talk to Officer Bentley again!" Darien checked the time on his watch. "Hm…two o'clock. I should probably go grab a bite to eat."

Darien had decided to go to a local restaurant in the area to have his lunch. He of course ate alone, but he was used to it. He didn't really mind not having much company when he was out.

He had finished his lunch, and on his way to the exit, he had run into a colleague of his from the law office. They sat down in a booth in the private section of the restaurant, which was closed off from the rest of the place, and conversed for a while, until they both had to get going. Darien was on his way to leave the private area.

'There aren't many people here. That's interesting. Usually it's packed. I guess maybe it's because lunch time is over.'

He heard a whole bunch of laughter, and he turned to find out where it was coming from. And that's when he saw them. One of the people in the group saw him and pointed at him. Darien's eyes widened in shock, as did theirs. He immediately glared at them and turned to walk away.

"Darien! Wait!" He stopped and turned his head. He knew that voice belonged to his platinum haired college classmate and former best friend.

"What do you want?"

"Can we...can we all talk?"

Darien turned his head away from the group, his back facing them. "I have no reason to speak to you."

"Please. Just hear us out!" Nate pleaded.

Darien snorted. "And why would I do something dumb that?"

"Because that's what she would want." A new voice answered. That was Raye's voice.

Darien faced the group, an intense glare on his face now. "How dare you bring her up in front of me like that?!"

"Because we know she would want you to listen to us," Mina replied.

"Oh yeah?" He challenged. "How do you know for sure? How do you know that she doesn't hate all of you?"

"She wouldn't. That's not like her," Jadeite responded.

"You're one to talk, Jadeite. But you're probably right. _She_ wouldn't hate you, but you can't say the same for me."

Nate stood up. "Please try to understand Darien."

If Darien had maintained his composure, he completely lost it now. "Understand? _Understand?!_ You guys are the ones who don't understand! You guys ruined our lives!" Darien yelled, forgetting that he was out in public. Luckily though, they were the only ones in this part of the restaurant, so no one else could hear his yelling. "You're the sole reason why we were never happy together, and you're the reason we broke up!"

"You didn't have to break up with her you know? That was ultimately your choice to make," Lita stated firmly.

Darien laughed bitterly. "Right. After what all of you told me back then, you really think you left me much of a choice in the situation? You guys never gave me that choice! Basically, looking between the lines, what you were telling me was to end our relationship. Permanently. And what if I didn't listen to you? You would've interfered anyway! All of you would've worked as hard as you had to in order to make sure that we wouldn't be together!"

"Did you forget the reason why you two aren't meant to be together?" Amy questioned.

"Oh no. I didn't. But you know what? I don't care anymore. That was in the past. Things are different now. I should've never believed what you guys told me. Or rather, I shouldn't have acted the way I did."

"Had you two been together..." Malcolm began prophetically.

"_Don't _give me that pathetic reason! Did you really think I'd forget the reason that ruined my life?! But look what's happened now! We were both miserable, and now she's fighting for her life! Is this the good that came out of our broken relationship, because if you think it is, then I'm sorry, but I don't."

He continued on his rampage with full steam. "And here all of you are, laughing and carefree as though there wasn't anything wrong at all! Don't any of you feel ashamed for what you did to us? What you did to _her_?! She never hurt any of you, and you repay her by breaking her heart. And now she's dying, and you don't even care! Especially _you _Thomas!" Darien pointed to the blonde guy sitting next to blonde girl. "She's _your _sister Thomas! How can you live with yourself like this when you know that she's barely alive in the hospital right now?! How is it possible for you too, Sabrina?" Darien asked the blonde next to Thomas. "For you to just forget that Serena, one of your 'best friends forever,' is leaving this world _forever_?!"

Darien took a few deep breaths. "You disgust me," he stated, his voice full of venom. The group was completely silent. They had nothing to say. Rather, what could they say to him? He shook his head at them and marched out of the restaurant.

* * *

"I can't believe I had to run into them. After all this time, when I had successfully avoided all of them, it just had to be now that I see them."

Darien ran a hand through his hair. He was still upset after the confrontation with his friends. No. His _former_ friends.

"I can't dwell on that now. I need to stay focused. After all, the trial is the day after tomorrow." He groaned aloud. "This day...I swear it can't get any worse than it already has."

Just then, interrupting his thoughts, his office telephone rang. He picked it up on the second ring.

"Mr. Shields… I regret to inform you that something has happened." Darien listened to the voice and gasped. "I'll be right there!" Darien ran out of his office, his destination: the hospital.

**Please don't hate me for what I've done! I'll do my very best to get the next chapter out soon (note: the more reviews I get, the more likely a new chapter will be written/posted quicker...*wink, wink*)! Please remember to review, follow, favorite, share, etc. Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm so sorry that this chapter is pretty much two days late! Certain things came up, and the result was that I couldn't work on this chapter this weekend, so I pretty much finished right now, that is, at about 11 PM. Due to this delay, I'm going to try my very best to get the next chapter out in the next day or two! (*Remember: The more reviews, the quicker and more inspired I'll be to get the chapter done as soon as possible!)**

**To all of my new followers, welcome! I'm glad that you've liked the story so far to follow it! That makes me very glad! I hope that you continue to like the story! And thank you to everyone who favorited me and/or the story! (Make sure to check out my Sailor Moon: Eternal Universe series! The first installment is complete, and the second one has been temporarily suspended, although there are four or five chapters of it posted – I feel like there aren't enough people reading it, so do check it out too if you have time!). **

**Note to everyone who wants to know the reason behind the break-up: I feel really tempted to write the big scene where all is revealed…but I can't! Not yet! I know, I'm sorry! I hate making you guys wait, but it's just not the right time! But it is coming. Trust me. You'll know when it's here.(I'll make sure to let you know). **

**Please, **_**please, **__**please REVIEW! I love reading reviews (as I have already mentioned in most of my other chapters!). And as some of you should know, I make sure to respond to reviews as promptly as I can! So remember: REVIEW!**_

**_Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!_**

Chapter 10

"How are you feeling right now?" Darien asked the patient in bed.

"Well…I could be feeling better, but at least I am alive."

Darien nodded his head. "Do the doctors know why this happened?"

"They said it was probably because I was under a lot of stress from the court proceedings."

"That makes sense." Darien sat quietly in the room.

"So what's going to happen with the trial that's coming up?"

"It's definitely going to be postponed for at least a week, and for however long it takes for you to get better and leave the hospital."

Just then, the door to the room opened to reveal Mrs. Nolan. "Oh honey!" She exclaimed as she ran towards the bed and hugged Mr. Nolan. She pulled away and was nearly in tears. "What happened to you?!"

"I guess my heart felt pressured with everything that's going on. Doctors said it was mild attack."

"You need to relax honey. You know all of this stress is bad for your heart!"

"I know, but I can't help it. I just feel like a lost cause." Mr. Nolan then turned to Darien. "I don't mean to insult you in any way Darien. You're probably the best attorney out there, and I know you are very talented at what you do. But I don't think I'm going to be found innocent in court."

"Mr. Nolan. I believe in you. I know you aren't capable of murdering anyone, especially Ms. Sterling. So I will do everything I can to prove your innocence."

Mr. Nolan smiled. "Thanks Darien. That makes me feel a lot better."

Darien smiled back. "I should probably get going…"

"Darien?" He turned around and looked at Mrs. Nolan, who had called out to him. "I hate to do ask this of you, but I'm kind of desperate. Would you be able to go to the house and watch over Hilary and Hallie? I know they should be fine home alone, but I would feel much more comfortable being here knowing that someone I trust is watching over them. Would you mind?"

"Not at all. I'd love to be of any help that I can be. They should already be home from school, right?"

"Right. I'll make sure to call them and let them know you're coming over there so that they won't call the police on you or something. I…I don't think they should come here."

"I understand. It's probably a good idea not have them come here too. For their sake and Mr. Nolan's. I'll head right over there."

"Thank you so much Darien. I don't know how we'll ever repay you for what you're doing for us."

"There's no need for that. I'm glad to help you out. Bye Mrs. Nolan, and get better Mr. Nolan. Take care." Darien walked out of the hospital room.

* * *

"So Darien. I have a question."

"What is it Hallie?"

Darien had been at the house for an hour now. Little Hilary was now sleeping upstairs in her bedroom after finishing her homework and eating the dinner Mrs. Nolan left for them. Darien didn't need to explain to the young girl what happened to her father, as Hallie had taken care of that. All he did was tell the sisters that their father was doing much better. Now he was in the living room with Mr. and Mrs. Nolan's oldest child.

"You and Serena hated each other's guts for a long time, right?"

"Yes…that would be an accurate statement."

"So…how did you two end up becoming a couple?"

"How did we end up becoming a couple?"

"Yeah. Like, when did you start going out?"

"Hm…that's a good question." Darien thought for a moment. "Ah yes. I remember all too well that day."

* * *

_It was seven o'clock in the evening. The sky was getting darker, but there was still a decent amount of light outside. Darien's parents were having dinner with a few colleagues, allowing Darien to stay home and relax. Of course, Darien didn't stay home. He went to the park, more specifically, to the garden. He didn't tell his friends, but he liked going to smell the roses and sitting there in the serene environment. It helped him clear his mind, and it was relaxing. _

_Darien had even found a small little spot that was sort of hidden away by the many shrubs, and he liked to just sit there by himself. So of course, Darien didn't expect to see another person there in his, what he liked to call, "secret hiding spot." _

'_Man. Secret hiding spot is kind of juvenile name. I should think of something more sophisticated than that. Maybe the spot. No. Too simple. The epic hideout? Nah. *sigh* Secret hiding spot will have to do for the time being.' _

_His current train of thought faded as he noticed a figure sitting in 'his' hiding spot. _

'_Well…this garden _is _open to the public, so I can't really claim it as being my own spot, but I didn't know anyone else even knew about it.'_

_He crept up quietly to the spot so as to not be detected by the person. Once close enough, just a few feet away, he smiled, recognizing who it was. 'Oh boy. I guess this isn't so bad after all.'_

_He walked up to her. "Hello there Me…" He stopped as he looked at her. She had her head down, and her knees were pulled up to her chest. She had looked up at him, and that's when he saw that her eyes were slightly pink._

"_Serena?"_

_She looked up at him, and her hands went up to her face, wiping any traces of crying. "Hey Darien." _

_He heard her sniffle a little. "Are you crying?" _

"_What makes you think that?"_

"_There are streaks of mascara on your face," Darien pointed out. _

_She touched her still tear-stained face and saw the black smudge on her fingers. "Hm…I never really cared for the stuff anyway." _

"_You don't?" _

"_No. I don't really like makeup in general. I don't wear it often." _

"_So why were you wearing mascara then?"_

"_My mom told me to wear it. She loves makeup."_

_He nodded. "So why were you crying? Is everything okay?"_

"_I'm fine, thanks. And who says I'm crying because I'm not okay? People can cry when they're happy you know."_

_Darien rolled his eyes. "Oh, and you're just bursting with joy." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. Serena shook her head before looking away from him. He then became serious again. "Really. Is something wrong?"_

"_Oh no." She was silent for a moment. "Do you want to sit here? I can always go-"_

"_No. It's fine. You mind if I sit with you?"_

"_Um…sure. You can sit here." _

_He lowered himself down next to her, and they sat in silence for a while._

"_I didn't realize anyone else knew about this little corner in the garden."_

_Serena had turned to look at Darien, and she considered what he said. "Yeah. Me neither." She then regarded their location. "It's nice though. Quiet, serene, kind of private." Darien nodded his head. _

"_It's seems to be one of the few places where we argue." _

_Serena titled her head to one side. "Why do you say that?"_

"_It's probably been five minutes since we've been here, and we haven't said a mean thing to each other."_

"_That's true, now that I think about it." She smiled a little. "That's nice." Darien wondered what she meant, but his thoughts were answered. "To be honest, I don't like arguing in general, but for some reason, with you, it seems like something comes over me and forces me to argue with you."_

"_Funny. I feel the same way too."_

"_And I guess it doesn't help that the girls like to fuel me up."_

"_Same thing with the guys. I mean, I guess we're a source of entertainment for them."_

"_Hm…yeah, that's probably it."_

"_So…are you ever going to tell me what it was that got you so upset?"_

_Serena shook her head. "It's stupid."_

"_I…" Darien refrained from making a mean comment. "What I was going to say was that I'm sure it's not stupid."_

"_Oh trust me. It is."_

_Again, silence permeated between them, until Darien broke it again. "You're all dressed up. Did you go to a party or something?" He asked, now noticing how she was dressed in a baby blue formal dress._

"_Yeah, something like that." She sighed. "It was another business party my parents had to go to. They wanted me to tag along, for what reason, I have no idea. Thomas is usually the one who likes to go with them to parties, but he's out on a group date with Sabrina and the girls."_

"_Right. The guys told me about that. They invited me along, but I didn't go."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Seriously? I'd be the third wheel! I'm the only single guy in our group. Everyone else has a girlfriend."_

"_That's pretty much the same situation with me too. And I guess I'd probably decline too, especially because the girls like to find potential guys for me to date. I mean, I know they mean well, but…I don't know. I just don't think dating's my thing." _

"_Bad experiences?" Darien asked knowingly, thinking to one or two dates that the guys had set him up with that didn't exactly end well._

"_Uh…more like…" She mumbled, fiddling with the hem of her dress._

"_What was that? I couldn't hear you."_

"_More like n…" She mumbled again. _

"_More like no something?"_

_She sighed. "I said more like no experience."_

"_No experience? What do you mean?" Serena gave him a look that said, seriously? Darien thought for a moment. "Wait!" He looked at her. "No way. You're not actually telling me that you've never dated anyone, are you?"_

"_I am. I've never been out on a date before."_

"_Why not?" _

"_Um…no one asked me, I guess. I mean," she added quickly. "Even if someone was to ask me, I probably would've said no. I feel like being in that kind of situation would be…too awkward for me." _

_Darien nodded his head, still struck by disbelief. "Wow. I'm shocked no one's ever asked you out."_

"_It's not that shocking, I guess." _

_Darien wanted to ask her what she meant, but he figured he'd rather not. _

"_So…how was the party?"_

"_Hm? Oh, it was okay, I guess. I'm not really too fond of parties, and these business parties are just…so boring. There was no one there who was less than 10 years older than me. Some of the guests were joking with my parents saying this was the wrong party to bring me to, since there was no one there my age. There weren't even any little kids there!" _

"_That's exactly why I avoid those parties at all costs. I made it very clear with my mom and dad that unless someone was dying or needed help, there was no way I would go with them to a party. But they respect that, thankfully."_

"_That's nice. Like I said, Thomas usually goes with them, but I had to go this time." She shook her head. She shifted herself so that she was now sitting with her legs crossed, but Darien noticed how she winced a little as she moved. He was going to refrain from asking, but then he caught a peek of her right foot. It was red and looked swollen. _

"_Serena. What happened to your foot?" _

_She quickly hid the foot under her dress. "Nothing."_

"_You don't expect me to believe that, do you? Now show me your foot." _

_Serena looked at him, and upon seeing that he wasn't going to drop it, she sighed and revealed her foot. _

_Darien examined it carefully. "It looks like you may have sprained it, or at least twisted it." He then looked up at her. "How did this happen?" _

_Serena hesitated. "You're going to laugh at me if I tell you." _

"_I won't laugh." Serena's eyebrows lifted up, and he could see the skepticism on her face. "Really. I won't," he sincerely told her. _

_She sighed once more, and then relayed her story. "So I was at the party, and you know what a klutz I am."_

"_That I do, but please, continue."_

_She nodded. "Well, I sort of tripped and fell." _

"_That's it? That's all that happened? It's hard to believe that you sustained such an injury from a simple fall." He saw her squirm a little and realized something. "You're not telling me the complete story, are you?" She didn't say a word. "Come on. I didn't laugh at you like you thought I would. Don't you think that makes me worthy enough to hear the whole story?"_

"_It's not a big deal Darien."_

"_But still. How did you really hurt your ankle like that? I mean, I've twisted my ankle, but that makes sense since I play football. But for you to get hurt like this? There's got to be something more to this." _

_Serena spoke up. "Fine. I'll tell you. I obviously can't hide it from you, but…just don't tell anyone."_

"_Why don't you want anyone to know?" _

"_It's…it's too embarrassing." _

"_Um…sure. I guess I won't tell anyone."_

"_Well, there was a staircase in the ballroom where the party was being held. You know the town hall's ballroom?" Darien immediately knew the room she was talking about and nodded. "I was at the top of the stairs and…" She faded off. _

"_Oh no. Please don't tell me you…" He stopped._

"_I did. I went upstairs to go to the bathroom. When I was starting to go down the stairs, the stiletto heel that my mom asked me to wear broke. I ended up tripping at the top of the stairs and rolled down them."_

"_You rolled down the stairs?! Are you okay?! Did you hurt anything else other than your ankle?" _

_Serena shook her head. "No. Luckily, it was only my ankle that got a little hurt. But then…everyone started laughing at me. I've never been fond of attracting attention to myself and having so many people look at me, because it makes me really nervous." She shuddered, and he saw her wipe her eyes a little. "It was absolutely humiliating. I immediately got up and ran out of there."_

'_That must have been the reason why she was crying. Because she was hurt, physically and mentally.' _

"_Didn't anyone offer you help or even just ask if you were okay?" _

"_Um…maybe they did. I was a bit too consumed with everyone looking at me."_

'_Gee…those must have been some pretty mean people there to not even ask her if she was alright.' _

_He thought of what she had told him so far, his eyes widening in shock. "And you walked all the way here from the town hall?! That's at least a ten minute walk!" _

_She shrugged. "It's the closest place to the town hall where I feel safe. My house is farther away, so I just thought I could wait for the swelling to go down before I walk back home."_

"_Won't your parents be worried? Have they tried to contact you?"_

"_No…They probably know that I'm fine. I'm sure they're still at the party."_

'_Hm. If I were them, I'm not exactly sure I'd be able to stay at a party knowing my daughter hurt herself pretty badly and left.'_

_As if hearing his thoughts, she justified for them. "They probably know that I would've told them I was doing okay and forced them to stay at the party."_

"_Are you really okay Serena? Falling down a flight of stairs, you're lucky nothing worse happened to you."  
"I'm okay. Really. It was just my ankle. I think I just twisted it." She examined the injured foot. "The swelling has gone down though, so I should be okay."_

_Darien saw the foot, but he couldn't say he agreed to her. 'If she says the swelling went down, I can't imagine what it must've looked like before.'_

_It took him a moment before realizing that she was planning on getting up. "Well. I really should be getting home now." _

_Darien stood up. "Do you need help?" _

"_No, no. I should be good." She pushed herself up, only to stumble a little before getting her balance. She turned to Darien, a small smile on her face. "Thank you for offering though. And thanks for letting me sit here in your spot. It was nice to have a civil conversation with you. Anyway, I'll see you around." _

_She turned away from him and began walking. Darien could very clearly see her limping._

"_Serena! Wait!" She stopped as he came to stand in front of her. "You shouldn't be walking on that foot. You'll only aggravate your ankle more."_

_She shook her head. "It isn't as bad as it looks Darien. Don't worry Darien."_

_He watched her once more as she struggled walking normally with her injury. _

'_She's pretty stubborn. I didn't know that about her. But if she's so sure that she can make it, I shouldn't be concerned.' His eyes never left her very slowly disappearing figure. _

_A few moments later…_

"_Hey!" Serena exclaimed. "What are you doing?! What if someone see us?!" She asked, looking around for anyone who might be in the area._

_Darien looked at the young girl who he was now carrying in his arms. 'Good question. What _am _I doing?'_

"_I'm saving a damsel in distress of course like the gentleman I am."_

"_Well, as much as I do appreciate you being a gentleman and all, I don't approve of this! Put me down!" Serena demanded. _

"_Sorry Serena. But I don't intend on doing that."_

_Despite voicing her disapproval, she didn't physically fight against him. "Why are you helping me?" _

"_Why?...I…" Darien wasn't exactly sure himself why he was helping the girl who he once considered to be his mortal enemy. "It doesn't sit very well with me to let you walk on your injured foot, especially at this time of day, or rather, night." He looked at her as they approached his car. "You don't mind if I give you a ride home in my car, do you?" _

_She thought for a moment. "I don't want to cause you any inconvenience." _

"_It's no inconvenience to me. I have to drive past your house before I can get to mine anyway." _

"_Um…if you insist on doing so, then I guess I don't mind." _

"_Good." He smiled. They had reached his car. He put her down gently so that she was leaning against his white pickup truck. He quickly opened the door and carefully helped her get in. He closed her door and went to the driver's side. _

_He started up the truck and drove them back to her house. The ride was quiet, save for the sound of his car. In a matter of minutes, they reached her driveway. He pulled in right behind a green Jeep. _

"_Mom and Dad aren't home yet, it looks like," Serena observed. She opened the passenger door. Darien quickly scrambled out of the car and was right by her side as she began getting out of the car, holding onto her. _

"_Here. Lean on me, and I'll walk you to your door." _

_Serena couldn't really argue with him, so she complied with him. She hobbled to the door and opened it. She was able to get inside. _

_She looked at him. "Thank you so much for the ride Darien, and for walking me here. I really appreciate it. Would you like to come in?" _

_He shook his head. "No thanks. I actually should be going home myself. I don't want my parents to call the police and report me missing or something." _

_Serena giggled at that, and he smiled at her. "Okay then." _

_Darien nodded and went to leave. _

_He was deep in thought, and then he abruptly turned around. His hands dug deep into his pockets. "Um…hey Serena. I was wondering…"_

"_Yes Darien?" She was still standing in the door way, her hands gripping the door to help alleviate the weight she put on her injured foot. _

"_Do you maybe…want to…hang out tomorrow? That is if you don't have anything planned."_

"_Um…I don't think I have anything planned. So…sure. Yeah. That'd be fun. Where do you want to meet?"_

"_Uh…" Darien looked down at the ground for a moment, and then remembered something. "Actually, I'll pick you up, and then we can decide what to do from there. How's that?"_

"_You don't have to pick me up."_

"_No, no. I insist."_

_Serena thought about the offer then smiled. "Sounds good to me! What time do you want to come here?" _

"_Oh…maybe…11 o'clock? Is that a good time?"_

"_Yeah, that's fine. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow at 11 then."_

"_Right. See you."_

"_See you Darien." _

_Darien hopped into his car and drove off. At the stop light at the end of the street, when it was red, Darien considered what just happened. "Wait. Did I just…"_

* * *

"You asked her out!" Hallie exclaimed.

"Yeah, I did. To this day, I don't know what compelled me to do that."

"I bet I know."

"Oh? What do you think?"

"You had a crush on her."

Darien couldn't help the blush that came over his cheeks. "A c-c-crush?"

Hallie nodded. "Of course! It's so obvious! A guy likes a girl, but he can't express his true feelings to her in a normal way, and so he decides to tease her to hide how he feels from her until he just can't help but want to be seen by the girl he likes as more than as a person who likes to torment her."

Darien stared blankly at Hallie for a moment. "You must read a _lot _of romance novels."

Hallie nodded excitedly. "Yes I have. But I've never heard of a real life story like that!"

"Well I guess that really is our story."

"So what happened on the date?!"

"Well, it was a pretty interesting first date I had with Serena…"

* * *

"_Hey Darien. I…I um…I have something I need to ask you." _

_Darien looked across the table at Serena. He had picked up Serena from her house at 11 o'clock sharp. Luckily, she bandaged her ankle up after icing it thoroughly the night before, so she was able to go out. They had_ _gone to the park and walked around there before Darien invited her to have a late lunch with him at a local café. _

"_Yeah, sure. What is it?"_

_She looked down at the table and bit her lip. Her eyes went up to look at his. "Darien. Are we…are we…on a date?"_

_Darien didn't expect Serena to ask him a question like that. He cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. "Why do you ask?"_

"_I sort of told Molly about our meeting up together last night when she asked me if I wanted to hang out with her and Melvin today, so I told her about the plans we made, and she…she assumed that you had asked me out on a date. Is…is she right? Did you mean for this to be a…a date?"_

_Darien stared at her for a moment, considering what her reaction would be when he told her the truth. "I…to be honest, I didn't consider it a date when I asked you last night, but then, on my way home, I realized that I actually _did _ask you out…on a date." He had stopped looking at her, but now his eyes went back to hers. "So in short, yes. I…_did _mean for this to be a date." She nodded her head slowly. "Is…is that okay with you?"_

_She still had her eyes on him, and he couldn't read them, but he did notice a blush creeping on her face as a shy smile broke out on her face. "Yeah…it is. But…" She tilted her head to the side. "Why?"_

"_After you told me you've never been asked out on a date before, I thought it might be nice to take you out on one. You deserve a chance to go out on a date. Plus," Darien looked down. "I was thinking that…it might help me get to know you better than I think I do." _

"_Oh." _

"_So…you don't mind…do you?" He asked uncertainly. _

"_No. I don't. Actually, I think that's really sweet of you to do something like that for me." _

_Their eyes locked, and they smiled at each other._

* * *

"Wow. You guys sound like you were the perfect couple," Hallie said dreamily.

Darien laughed a little. "You think so?"

Hallie nodded. "It's just a shame that after all of the time you guys were together, you had to eventually break up. Why did you end your relationship anyway? Serena never told me."

Darien tensed a little. "Um…well…let's just say…our friends didn't exactly approve of our being together."

Hallie scoffed. "Who cares about what your friends thought?! Wait." She stopped. "Were your parents not okay with it too?" She asked sadly.

"Actually, they wanted us to be together. Mind you, they didn't force us to date each other, but they definitely approved of us being a couple."

"So both of your parents, the people whose opinions should matter the most, wanted you two together…but you broke up just because your friends didn't want you guys to?! That's so messed up!"

"They were probably advising us to do what's best."

"I'm sorry, but I find that _very_ hard to believe. You both really loved each other, so what's their problem?"

"It's…it's complicated."

"I actually think it's relatively simple, Mr. Shields. If they were really your friends, they wouldn't have tried to separate the two of you."

That statement struck a chord in Darien. He couldn't find a counterargument. 'She's…she's right. That seems to be true. I certainly think that's true.'

Darien had spaced out and didn't seem to hear Hallie's question. "I'm sorry. What was that you asked me?"

"I asked you…if…if you still love her."

"Love who?"

"No offense, but that was kind of a dumb question." Hallie then spoke a little softer. "Serena."

Darien looked away, his eyes darkening. He couldn't think of the answer to that question, and lucky for him, he wouldn't have to answer it either.

Not yet anyways.

**More suspense is coming up in the next chapter, along with a flashback. Let me know what you think by reviewing! Like I said at the beginning, I'm going to try to get the next chapter out in the next two days. I've got a lot more ideas for that chapter than I had for this one. Regardless, I hope you did enjoy this chapter. Again, let me know if you did or if you didn't! _Please remember to review, follow, favorite, share, etc. Thanks!_**


	11. Chapter 11

**Please, **_**please, **__**please REVIEW! I love reading reviews (as I have already mentioned in most of my other chapters!). And as some of you should know, I make sure to respond to reviews as promptly as I can! So remember: REVIEW!**_

**I'm working hard on the next chapter (I'm not going to say that I'm going to get it done in this many days, because usually, what ends up happening is I _don't_ get it done in that time, and I realized it was rather cruel of me to say that in the previous chapter, so I apologize for that!). I'm pretty sure that this story _won't _go over 20 chapters. It might even be done by Chapter 15. Just to let you guys know how much longer the story is going to go on...**

**_Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!_**

Chapter 11

_Darien wandered aimlessly around the park, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans. _

'_What do I do? How can I bring this up and tell her about it? How will she react?'_

_He had his head down as he was deep in thought, and that's when he walked into someone. _

"_Gosh! I'm so sorry…Serena?"_

_The girl looked up at him, her brown eyes widening. "Darien."_

"_I…was actually thinking about you."_

"_M...me too."_

"_There's something I…" They both spoke simultaneously._

"_Needed to..."Darien continued._

"_Talk to you about?" Serena finished. "I actually do too."_

"_Um…how about we…sit at the bench near the lake?"_

"_Sure. That sounds good."_

_The lake was just a two minute walk from their current location. They were both completely silent, absorbed in their own thoughts. They finally reached the bench and sat down, ensuring that there was a good distance between them. _

"_So…" Serena began._

"_So…" Darien sighed. "I…I really don't want to do this Serena, but…"_

"_You want to…break up…right?"_

"_Uh, right. But…how…how did you know?"_

_Serena looked away. "Because…that's what I wanted to do too."_

_Darien was extremely tempted to ask her why, but figured he shouldn't. "The guys…they...they seemed pretty skeptical about our relationship."_

"_Same thing with the girls. They…they said they think it's just a one-time thing…That we couldn't really be a…a couple."_

"_Right. That's pretty much what the guys told me too." He looked down and then turned to her. _

"_Maybe…maybe they're right."_

"_Yeah. It would seem so."_

"_I mean, it's not like we were in a serious relationship."_

"_Exactly. We were just…experimenting," Serena added._

"_Yeah." He couldn't help but feel bad though. "You're…okay with this, aren't you?"_

_Serena looked to him, and a small, understanding smile appeared on her face. "Yes, I am. It's okay. I mean, they're our friends, and they wouldn't say something like that to us unless they felt it was for our own good. And anyway, just because we aren't…_together _doesn't mean we can't be friends, right?"_

"_That's true." He held out his hand. "So…we're just friends?"_

_She nodded, smiling. "Yes. Just friends." She shook his hand. They stopped shaking, but their hands didn't let go immediately. They stayed clasped together, and there was clearly some hesitation on both sides. Their eyes locked for a moment, and they both quickly looked away. _

"_Um…" Serena stood up. "I…should probably get going."_

"_Me too." _

"_I'll…see you around, Darien."_

"_You too, Serena."_

_Darien watched as she went away. 'Why do I feel so…hurt? Maybe it's just because we broke up? I mean, it _was _mutual, but a break up _is _a break up. Well, I'll probably get over it soon. After all, she's just one girl. There are other fish in the sea.' With that thought deceiving him into happiness, Darien whistled as he made his way back home._

* * *

_The Sterlings were holding a Christmas party at a resort, and Darien's family goes and of course, they had to bring Darien along._

_Darien stood by himself off to the side of the room where all of the adults were talking, eating, or dancing. _

_He felt really out of place, being, he concluded, the only teenager in the room and at the whole party._

_'These business parties are going to be the death of me.'_

_Of course Mrs. Sterling didn't fail to notice Darien, and she and Mr. Sterling walked over. _

_"Having fun, Darien?" She asked._

_Darien perked up and gave a fake smile. "Um, yeah."_

_"Darien. No need to fake it! We know this party isn't exactly fun for you," Mr. Sterling said._

_Darien smiled sheepishly. "Yeah...I guess I do feel somewhat out of place."_

_"In a room full of adults, I could imagine. Why don't you head outside? It's magnificent out there, and because of the party, it's off limits to the public. There aren't many people outside."_

_"Well..." Darien considered the offer._

_"Serena's out there," Mrs. Sterling added._

_That caught his attention. "Serena?" Then he contained his excitement. "Oh...I..."_

_He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to see it was his Dad's. "Go ahead son. No one's going to know."_

_Darien then looked to his mom, who was nodding. "As far as any of us know, you two didn't even cross paths at this party."_

_He looked to the Sterlings, who nodded their head. He smiled a little. "Thanks." And he rather quickly went to go outside._

_"Those two..." Mrs. Sterling started._

_"I don't understand why the others don't want them together, they seem perfect for each other," Mr. Sterling added._

_"You're right," Mr. Shields added._

_"Can't they see how much those two need each other?" Mrs. Shields asked. The adults went silent thinking of their children._

_Darien breathed in a huge sigh of relief once he reached outside. "Ah...alone at last!" He declared. He then went to search the area for her. He eventually found her looking over the balcony that was above the garden pavilion._

_She heard footsteps behind her and turned to find the source of them. Her eyes widened. _

_"Darien."_

_For a moment, they just stared at each other. It had been over a month since they had seen each other._

_He smiled. "Serena." He walked over to her. "Mind if I join you?"_

_She shook her head, and he took his place next to her at the balcony._

_"Having fun at the party?" He asked teasingly._

_She laughed a little. "No. I felt too out of place."_

_"Same here...So...how have you been Serena?"_

_She looked to him, then back out to the garden. "I've been alright. Taking it easy with break and all." She turned to him once more. "How about you?"_

_"I've been good too. Enjoying break."_

_She nodded slowly. There was a bit of awkward silence._

_"You look great, by the way."_

_Serena blushed a little. "Thanks. You look good too."_

_"Um...you wanna...go walk around? I haven't been able to go around and explore the garden."_

_Serena contemplated this for a moment. "Sure. Actually, I wanted to go see the garden too, but it's nice to have company."_

_So the two of them headed down the steps to the garden and began to walk through it._

_Neither one said a word for a while as they were consumed by their thoughts._

_'I can't believe it's been a month since I actually _saw_ her. I guess we both did a pretty good job avoiding each other.'_

_The two of them had started dating in the summer after sophomore year, in July to be precise, and they broke up in October. Ever since the breakup, things became awkward for them, and they slowly drifted apart as friends, eventually going out of their ways to avoid each other._

_They were soon at the center of the garden, where there was a dance pavilion. Music that was playing inside the resort's ballroom was being projected through the speakers._

_"What a nice pavilion," Serena mused as she ran her hand along the railing. The pavilion was a pretty maroon color, and it was made of wood. Flowers and vines were wrapped around the pillars and the railing. Little white Christmas lights were lit up there as well._

_They stayed there for a while, until Darien decided to pluck up some courage._

_He cleared his throat. "Serena. Would you...like to dance?"_

_"Um..." She looked away, and then she turned to look straight at him. "Okay."_

_They stayed a distance away from each other. His right hand was on her waist, her left hand on his shoulder, and their free hands clasped together. They slow danced to the music playing._

_He could see Serena's cheeks burning red. She was obviously not used to this, not to mention she was dancing with him, her ex-boyfriend._

_"You alright?"_

_"Hm? Yes, I'm fine."_

_'She isn't even looking at me.'_

_"Serena?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"I...I'm sorry we broke up."_

_"M...me too."_

_"I thought we could still maintain our friendship after that, but I guess that was too..."_

_"Awkward," Serena finished. He nodded. "I mean, it was technically an experimental relationship, wasn't it?"_

_"Yeah, it was...at first."_

_She finally looked up at him surprise. "I don't...understand."_

_"Serena...I think...I think we gave up on our relationship too early on. We had finally just gotten to really know each other, and that's when we ended it. What I'm trying to say is, well, I think...I think more could've come out of our relationship had we continued it." Serena was silent, her eyes angled down to the ground. "And...I missed you."_

_"You...missed me? But, we would see each other at school all the time."_

_"I know, but what I mean is, I missed spending time with you. I...I felt like something went missing when we broke up and stopped talking, and...I don't like that feeling."_

_Serena didn't respond for a minute. "I...I missed you too," she said softly. "I felt the exact same way you did. I wanted...to talk to you before and tell you about it, but...I just couldn't."_

_"At least we got it all out there in the open now," Darien said. "We should try to work on being friends again. Reconstruct our friendship."_

_"Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. I'd be sad to let go of a friend like you."_

_"Cool. So...how about we...hug it out?"_

_Serena grinned. "Sounds good to me."_

_So they hugged each other tightly. It was meant to be a quick embrace, but neither one was letting go. Their hold on each other soon softened, and they pulled away slowly. Their faces were in close proximity to each other, and their eyes locked. Ocean blue on light brown.  
Darien leaned his head forward and pressed his lips on hers. He felt her tense up a bit before relaxing. He then pulled away and saw her open her eyes, confusion and shock very apparent in them._

_"I..." She couldn't even speak._

_"Wait a second. Was...was that your...your first kiss?!" Darien asked slowly, horrified. She nodded her head slowly. "Serena. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to steal your first kiss! I..."_

_"Darien." He stopped rambling and listened to what she told him. "I don't mind that you kissed me, and you certainly didn't _steal_ my first kiss. But...why...did you...kiss me?"_

_"I uh...well...I couldn't help myself. I just...wanted to kiss you, because...because...because I don't want to be _just friends_. I want to get back together with you."_

_"You...do?"_

_"Yes, I do. Badly. I can't go on like this Serena. I want to be with you as much as I can. I want to pursue a relationship with you and see where it goes."_

_"I...I feel the same way, but...what about our friends?"_

_"They...they don't need to know."_

_"Darien! Are you suggesting that we date behind their backs?!"_

_"What they don't know won't hurt them. Plus Serena, their opinion about us dating shouldn't matter. What should matter the most is our opinions and our parents' too, and it just so happens that our parents approve of us dating. After all, they're the ones who told me you were out here."_

_He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. "So what do you say, Serena Sterling? Will you become my girlfriend again?"_

* * *

"Sorry for the wait. Officer Bentley isn't here right now." Darien turned around, his thoughts interrupted, when he heard a voice behind him. "Oh. Hello there. You must be Mr. Shields, the defense attorney working on the attempted murder case. My name is Donald Walters."

'Oh. This was the guy who came into the room last time I was here visiting Officer Bentley.'

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Walters. You're a police officer here, I gather?"

"Yes, but really, I'm Officer Bentley's assistant. I just started not too long ago. I've been helping him with this case. You're here to discuss the case I gather?"

"Yes, I am."

"Excellent! I'll be glad to help you with whatever you'd like to know."

'What a nice guy. It's too bad he had to be that grumpy officer's assistant.'

"So…I know you can't really tell me much about the case, me being the defense and all, but…"

"Mr. Shields."

"Please call me Darien."

"As long as you call me Don. But anyway, I know about the whole police and prosecution being real chums and everything, but I don't believe in that. So I'll tell you everything that _I _know about the case."

"Wow. That's very generous of you! But…that's not going to cost you your job, will it?"

"No, no. As long as you didn't hear it from me," Don said, winking.

Darien caught on and smiled. "Hear what?"

Don nodded, and then his face got serious. "About the case…I was…actually the one who first went to the victim, Serena's, house when the 911 call was made. The door was unlocked, and I went in. There was no one there at that point, so I think the perpetrator had left already. I walked into the living room, and I saw her body there, lying on the floor." The officer shuddered.

"That…must've been hard for you, huh?"

"Yeah, it was. But hey, it's part of my job. I immediately did a search of the area to find anything suspicious, but unfortunately, I didn't. Whoever the perp was, he was one smart guy, didn't leave a scrap of evidence for the police." He shook his head. "Poor Serena. The girl had such promise, or so I heard."

Darien nodded, but was unsure of something. "You mentioned that you were the first one who was on the scene and discovered Ms. Sterling's body. So why didn't you testify at the trial?"

"I'm afraid my superiors had a say in that situation, so I couldn't testify, even if I wanted to."

"I see. Thanks for the inside scoop. Now, to something I'm sure won't be too much of a problem for you to tell me. I called Sanders and Co. Law Offices regarding some kind of order that Ms. Sterling had filed a little while back. She told me I could find out from the police what the order was. Could you tell me about that?"

"Ah, Mr. Shields. I regret to inform you that I am strictly not allowed to give you that information. I was explicitly told not to tell _anyone _about that matter. Officer Bentley is the one who has access to that information anyway, and from what I know, he was saying he isn't willing to let anyone other than the prosecution get that information."

'Figures the guy would make my job harder on purpose. Well, at least he's got a nice-enough assistant.'

"Well Don. I believe that's all I need to know for the time being." Darien stood up and extended his hand. "Thank you very much for all the help."

Don shook his hand back. "You're very welcome, Mr. Shields…sorry. Darien. I wish you all the best."

"Thanks. I'm afraid I'll need it. Goodbye. Nice meeting you."

Darien had his hand on the doorknob. "Wait Darien."

He turned around. "Yes?"

"How about you take a seat? There…there _is _something I can tell you, off the record, that is."

Darien slowly sat back down and listened intently to what the assistant was saying.

"I was working here in Officer Bentley's office when I heard him and another officer talking about Serena's order. I heard them say it had something to with some guy, and that Serena was apparently…well…" He hesitated.

"What is it Don?"

"This…might come as a shock to you. But I heard them say that Serena was having an affair with some guy."

"An affair?!" Darien nearly exclaimed aloud, although he knew he had to control himself so no one would hear him and suspect anything.

"Yes, an affair. According to them, she was seeing some fellow. A man who was married."

"She was dating…a married man? Are you sure they didn't maybe mean that _she_ was married to some man? And what does that have to do with this mysterious order?"

Don shook his head. "Nope. That's what I heard them say, an affair. And I don't really know what the relevance of such a relationship would be to this order."

"Do they suspect that this…_boyfriend_ of hers may have…tried to kill her? That he may be the suspect?"

"Well…actually…I hate to say this, Darien, but for the record, this is what I heard them say. They said…they said it has to do with your client, Patrick Nolan."

"_Mr. Nolan?! _Are they actually suggesting that…Ms. Sterling was…having an affair with him?!"

"That's…certainly what it sounded like sir. But you didn't hear this from me."

"Right, of course. I…I'll need to get going. Thanks for the information. Bye."

* * *

"Serena…_dating_ someone?! I find that _way_ too hard to believe, Darien!" Tina exclaimed.

"Yeah! Serena would've told us about it for sure!" Fiona added.

Darien was relieved. The fear that had built up inside him subsided. But not for long.

Tina then tapped her chin thoughtfully. "That _is_ true, but…Serena _was _pretty private."

"Yeah, now that you mention it, she didn't tell us much about her personal life, other than the fact that she didn't like it when guys flirted with her and asked her out."

"But that could very well be because she has a boyfriend. But why would she not tell us about him?"

"Because she probably knew the two of you would bother her like crazy whenever you got the chance so that you could learn who the person was she's dating," a new voice added.

Darien looked up to see another, more elderly nurse who he hadn't met on his last visit to the ER. "Hello there…Mr. Shields." She read his nameplate. "My name is Yolanda. And as I was saying, Serena would probably _not _have told these two gossip girls fearing that they would bother her to insanity about it!"

"I see…" Darien nodded his head.

'That wasn't really the answer I wanted to hear.'

"However, I must ask how that would have something to do with the case, if you don't mind my asking?" The elderly nurse questioned.

"Quite frankly, I'm not completely sure myself. I'm still investigating the whole thing. I just got this new lead not too long ago."

"Right. Well, I do wish you good luck. And please do find out who attacked our beloved doctor and serve the person some justice!"

"I'll…try my very best ma'am. Thank you for talking to me. Goodbye."

Darien went back to his car and drove towards the office. 'It's probably a good idea that I didn't mention the whole affair thing to them. Who knows how they would've reacted.' He sighed. 'Every time it seems like things are getting a little better, they become a whole lot worse.'

* * *

'Could she _really _have been in an affair with anyone? _Especially _Mr. Nolan?! How could they even think that?! Ugh. If _only _I could see that order!' Darien ran a hand through his black locks, wanting to pull his hair right off his head.

"I need to get a grip of myself and look at the information I have right now."

Darien was looking through his newly-updated case notes when he heard a knock on his office door. "Yes? Come in."

Darien stood up immediately upon seeing who walked inside. "Hello sir."

"Darien. Please. Sit down." His boss, Mr. Alexander Hoffman, took a seat across from Darien. "I haven't seen you in a while. I know that you're pretty tied up with the case you're working on. How goes it?"

"It's…going alright, sir. It could be going much better. New things have been popping up all the times, mostly obstacles. Luckily though, I do have two more days in court before a verdict is found."

Darien noticed his boss's demeanor changed. "About that, Darien. I…received a call from the courthouse. It appears that there's a bit of…an issue."

'Brace yourself, Darien. I'm sure you're not going to like this.'

"Darien, the court has decided that given how the prosecution has a lead in the trial, they're only allowing one more day for the trial."

"What?! Sir, they can't be serious! One more day! I don't know if I'll figure out much by then."

"I know Darien. It's hard. The court thinks that this is a pretty much closed case. They're tired of having to extend the trial so much, so they want everything done in this next, upcoming trial date. In other words, the court has every intention to reach a verdict."

"Sir…I…I have a question to ask you. What…what will happen…if Mr. Nolan…is found guilty?"

His boss looked pretty solemn. "I can't say for sure Darien. But…given my experience and what I know of the case, he could…he could very well receive…the ultimate punishment."

"No…not that…"

"I'm afraid it's a possibility, Darien." Mr. Hoffman sighed. "I'm sorry to bring this news to you Darien, but I figured you should know so that you can plan out your investigation accordingly. I know you're working very hard on this case, but…I want you to know that…you do still have the option of…dropping the case. I'm also aware that you…have a personal relation to the victim in the case." Darien looked away. "I just don't want you to think that you're chained to this case. It hasn't gotten too far, and it isn't too late for you to hand it over to another attorney."

"Right," Darien responded.

"Just an option for you to keep in mind. I know you're a hard worker Darien, and I am your employer, but…I also consider you to be like a family member, and I hate to see you struggle."

"Thank you sir. I do appreciate it."

* * *

"Excuse me. Are you a relative of the patient?"

Darien looked up to see a man in white coat. "Uh…no. I'm actually…an old friend."

"I see." The doctor gazed at the patient and shook his head.

"How is she…doing…doctor?"

"May I have your name?"

"Darien Shields."

"Ah yes. Her parents came in a couple of days ago, along with yours, and they told me I could tell you about her." The doctor sighed. "I wish I could say everything will turn out for the best."

"But?"

"But…these kinds of cases…are hard to call."

"Based on what's been going on, what do you think?"

"I'll be honest with you Mr. Shields. The chances are…very slim that she'll make it. Her condition is not improving."

"In other words…what you're saying is…"

"Ms. Sterling is dying."

**This story took a very, very, **_**very **_**unexpected turn when I was writing it. I did not plan for it to be this way initially, but here it is. Hope you guys liked it!**

**I think the big reveal of the break up will be in the last or second to last chapter of this story. I know that seems like a long time, and I really do wish that I could include it earlier, but I feel like given the way I intend to write the rest of the story, it would work out best that way (I've already written the first part of the scene, if that helps at all). I hope that doesn't cause people to stop reading! I think it'll be worthwhile to do it that way, especially because that's probably the most important part of the story.**

_**Please remember to review, follow, favorite, share, etc. Thanks!**_


	12. Important Author Announcement

**Hi new followers. Thanks for following the story. **

**Warning: Please _DO _****_NOT SKIP THIS!_**** This is not an actual chapter; it's an ****_IMPORTANT_**** extended author's note. I have something important to discuss, but there's some administrative work I need to do first (if you want to skip the response to a guest review, please go down to the line). Thanks!**

To the guest who left the long review: I'm not sure if you're reading this, but if you are, I am truly very sorry. It is obvious that I have literally _no idea_ about what I'm writing in terms of the whole lawyer thing. (I made sure to make it obvious too, with the following two statements I made previously:

"**I am not really knowledgeable when it comes to legal things" – Chapter 2; and**

"**I'm not a lawyer (obviously) so I don't know if everything I mentioned in this fanfiction so far is completely accurate; however, it is **_fanfiction_**, so let's just assume that it is right." – Chapter** 4).

I would've done research, but I've already been having to find time to write this story (which does then bring up the question of why I am actually writing this story then…), and given everything else that's going on, I don't have enough time to the research. I genuinely do feel bad that what I've been writing hasn't been accurate at all. I just felt that, "Hey! This is fan fiction! It's okay if what I write isn't completely accurate, so long as that I don't make my readers think I do and that it doesn't hurt anyone's feelings or something like that." But you're right. I shouldn't write about something I don't know.

I actually used the Ace Attorney series (a video game) for some inspiration (that probably was not the smartest idea…). The whole lawyer thing is kind of a side story anyway. My main focus was on who actually tried to kill Serena and what exactly happened between her and Darien.

As for Darien seeming inexperienced, when he has been described as being a great lawyer who hasn't lost a case (I kind of wish I hadn't mentioned that now), I guess I wanted to make this the hardest case he's ever had to deal with. I don't know how else to really make this explanation any better, except that his own emotional involvement in the case is really what's hindering him and making him seem like a complete novice. With other cases, usually they have no other relation to him whatsoever other than the fact that he's a lawyer who's working on it.

The flashbacks do to get confusing, I admit, and I did actually consider making a separate story, almost like a prequel, that would solely focus on Darien and Serena's past, but that would just be too much for me to handle, so I scrapped the idea. I just included them to show the aspect of the story as was mentioned in the summary: "Darien is reminded of a past he wishes he could have forgotten."

Thank you so much for your review. I do greatly appreciate your taking the time to leave me such a detailed review! (I probably won't make another attempt like this unless and until I've done some thorough research about it!). I can't and certainly force you or ask you to continue to read the story. It would be super great for you to finish reading it, but if not, that's completely fine too.

* * *

**So usually, at the end of chapters, I shamelessly beg for reviews, but I'm not going to do that; however, I do have one request for my readers (if there are any left). I honestly don't know how people are feeling about the story up until this point. I got some good feedback in the beginning, but now, I'm a little wary. I'm sure chapter 11 did most of the damage (especially given that it only got two reviews up until this point), but I seriously **_**need to know**_** if you guys still like the story or have grown tired of it. **

**I understand there's the issue of not having time to read and review, which is completely understandable, but chapter 11's been out for a couple of days now, and I have not seen a very positive reaction towards it, and that made me really worried and caused all of this doubt to come into my head as to whether the story has taken a turn to the worst and maybe shouldn't be completed. **

*******_**Which is why all I ask is that you please leave a review, just to let me know that there are people out there who still want to see the story to the end.**_** *****

**Quite frankly, I'm having an **_**extremely**_** a hard time getting the next chapter written, even though it may not seem like that (and I know what I wanted to say). It's honestly due to a lack of motivation. I hate to do this, but I guess I don't have much of a choice. I need some reviews or private messages (at least 3) in the time period of one week (starting today - next Monday being the last day) for me to finish the story; otherwise, this'll probably be the end. All you need to do is let me know that you are reading the story, and _more importantly, _that you want me to continue it. **

**I feel awful doing this, but I feel it would be a waste of time writing up and posting the rest of it if there's no one that's interested in reading it. I'll just suspend it permanently and get back to work on my other fan fiction that I completely abandoned once I started working on this one. I believe that it deserves more attention, as it is my main fan fiction story/series. I believe I should channel my efforts into something that people will like rather than something they won't like.**

**Thank you to all of you that've been reading the chapters. I'm really, really sorry. I hope you don't hate me for this (although I certainly don't blame you if you do), but circumstances have led me to have to make this decision. You're welcome to private message me if you'd like, because I will definitely respond. Thank you again so very much, from the bottom of my heart, and I sincerely apologize for this. This might be hard to believe, but this is hurting me a lot. This story is close to my heart. **


	13. Guest Review Responses Page

_**(Please skip to next chapter if you did not leave a guest review). **_

Response to guest reviews:

First of all, thanks for reviewing!

**Just me **– Thanks for the review! I left a private message for you in your pen name, for when you get the time.

**SailorMoon328 **– Thanks for the review! I appreciate the support!

**Guest** who said, "Please update?! […] i love your story even the flashback...it keeps me thinking what happen?" – Thank you for the kind review! I'm glad you like the flashbacks.

**Same guest **– No, no. Thank you for the review. I just felt super bad about not having done research. That's actually uncharacteristic of me. I usually search up about something before I actually start talking about it. I am glad that you left me an honest review. It helps me as a writer. I just read it at the wrong time, I guess. I read it in the morning, as soon as I got up, and I told myself at first, "It's okay. It's fine. It's constructive criticism." But then I considered what you were saying, and I genuinely felt bad about the story and everything. I had some serious doubts (I'm generally insecure anyway, and am quite the worrywart). But I do thank you so much for reviewing! I'm also happy to know that you do like the story.

**Rebecca** – It will be completed for sure! (The next chapter is up! Go check it out!)

**Diana** – Hm…yes…if only they could interact with each other…

**Guest** who said, "I like this history. (…)": Thank you for being honest! I'll update as much as I can!

**Kuru **– Gosh! Thank you so much! I feel like there are much better SM fanfics out here, but I am honored that you think so highly of mine! I do have a Sailor Moon series called _Eternal Universe _that I was working on. The first part is up, and the second part has been temporarily suspended. You should check it out and let me know what you think of it!


	14. Chapter 12

**Your reviews literally made me cry. They really did. It makes me so happy that people do enjoy the story! I was just really worried because I didn't think chapter 11 received a positive response as most of the other chapters do, so I thought maybe the story had lost its appeal. But obviously, you guys do love it, and that's what especially makes me love writing it! It's because of you guys that this story became so close to my heart, and you guys are close to my heart too! I was having a tough start to the week also, especially with my spring break being almost over (I'm still off the rest of this week) and just little issues with life in general. Anyway, I understand now that reviews aren't everything! Thanks for making me realize that! So please don't feel like you need to review for me to update (you're always welcome to though)! I will definitely always update (unless of course, something really bad happens to me, which I hope not!). Thank you so much for your support!**

**As a result, I'll be working super hard on not just getting the next chapter done, but getting the story done too! It's getting closer and closer to the end. Anyway, here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy!**

Note: This story is rated T because it is involving darker subject matter and references alcohol. However, please do know that I do not endorse nor recommend nor support the consumption of alcohol. I am 100% against it; however, for the purpose of this story, it will be mentioned, but please do remember this note. Thanks!

**_Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!_**

Chapter 12

"I need to have a drink right now," Darien mumbled to himself as he entered his penthouse. He dropped his stuff off on the couch as he went to the kitchen.

Opening the fridge, he searched for his drinks. "Darn. I must've ran out." He sighed and just stood in front of the open fridge. "Wait. Maybe there's something towards the back of the fridge." He leaned forward to look inside the cold compartment.

"Drinking isn't going to solve your problems."

"Ahhhhhh! Ow!" Darien yelled, banging his head on one of the racks in the fridge. He silently cursed. Rubbing his head, he turned around and shut the fridge door, leaning back against it. His eyes scanned the room, but couldn't see anyone. "Who said that?!"

"Me." He saw someone come out of the shadows. The person was a little shorter than himself and had hair that went to their shoulders.

"No way." He saw another person come out also. This person was just a little taller than Darien and had short, brownish-black hair. "Are you kidding me?! How did you get in here?!"

"Well, thanks for the warm welcome. We're doing well too," a deep voice spoke sarcastically.

'I know _that _voice all to well…'

Darien groaned. "How exactly _did_ you guys get in here?! I always keep this place locked!"

"Well, if you have a key, you can get in." The woman replied, waving a key ring in front of her.

"Who gave you a key?"

"_You_ did, remember? When you first bought this place?" His mother shook her head, her black, shoulder-length locks swishing from side to side. "See what all that drinking has been doing to your wonderful brain?"

"Why are you guys here? In my house? _Now?!_"

"Your mother tried calling you so many times, but you didn't respond even once! We even told Andrew about it!"

"That's right. He did tell me that."

"So why are you ignoring us?" His father had his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"I'm not ignoring you. Ugh. I've just been busy with work, that's all."

"You do realize that the time you waste getting drunk, you could use that time to give us a call," His mother scolded, her light blue eyes condescending.

"I'm sorry I forgot, Mom. Like I said, I've just been consumed by my work."

"But would it really kill you to just call us? You could even email, if that's more convenient for you," Mrs. Shields added.

"Given everything that's been happening, it might just have," Darien muttered.

"We were really worried about you. We thought something may have happened to you, especially since you're investigating a murder."

Mr. Shields then asked, "How's the case going?"

"Could be going much better."

"Did you go to see her?" Darien didn't respond, but then he nodded his head. "Do you have any idea who may have tried to..." His father stopped when Darien shook his head. "I see."

His mom walked up to him. "You have bags under your eyes, Darien." She lifted her hands to touch his face, but he moved away. He turned to face the counter and began pull out some cups.

"You guys want some coffee?"

"Um...sure," Mr. Shields replied uncertainly.

The three stood silently as the coffee machine was brewing the coffee. Once it was done, they continued to stand in the kitchen and sip the hot drink.

"We missed you Darien."

Darien sighed. "Mom. Are you _really_ going to start making me feel guilty?"

"Darien. Your mother has a point. It's been months since we've see you! You could pay us a quick visit you know."

"I'm sorry, okay? What do you want me to do? Go back in time and fix it?!"

His dad's face got red. "Don't you smart talk with us, Darien! As your parents, we have the right to be able to see you!"

"Why are you guys trying to get involved in my life?!"

"Because you're obviously hurt, Darien. It's so obvious."

"No, I'm not, Mom. I'm fine. I'm not a baby anymore. You don't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself," he grumbled, putting his cup in the sink and turning his back to them.

"Which is why you were about to get yourself wasted, right?" His father's voice was raised.

He finally faced them once more and yelled aloud, "Why can't you guys just leave me alone! You don't understand what I'm going through!" He slammed his hand on the counter, causing his mom to jump a little.

Silence lingered in the room as did the smell of coffee. His father was the first to speak, and he spoke rather quietly. "We don't understand Darien. You're right. We're entrepreneurs, and you're a lawyer. Your job must be very hard." He paused.

"But we can _try_ to understand, if you'll help us to," his mom finished.

He glared at them for a long time, but they soon saw the glare disappear into a blank, almost lost expression.

Next thing they knew, he was sinking to the floor, his whole body shaking. They ran over to him and wrapped their arms around him.

"Oh honey. It's okay. Sh, sh..." His mother spoke tenderly, brushing her fingers soothingly through his hair.

"You go ahead and let it all out," his father said.

They were shocked, needless to say. Yes, their son had cried before, but the crying typical of him was just silent tears rolling down his eyes.

Right now, it was the first time that they, his own parents, had witnessed him crying with such emotional pain.

"I don't know if I can take this anymore," he sobbed. "I always want to give up and hand over the case, but then I think of that man and his family. They're innocent." He paused momentarily. "But worst of all, when I consider giving up the case, all that I can see in my mind is her in that hospital bed. Totally immune to everything that happens around her. Not being able to do anything but just lie there." His shoulders shook with sobs. "And now…now the doctor's saying that she's dying!" He cried harder.

"Sweety. It's alright. We've got you. Let everything out."

The family was huddled together for a good five minutes. Darien had finally calmed down. His mom wiped his tears and held him to her chest.

"Darien. You don't need to go on with this case if it's hurting you this much. Obviously, it's had a profound impact on you," his father reasoned.

Wiping his eyes, Darien stood up. "No. I can't."

They followed suite. "Darien. I don't think she'd want you to do this to yourself. She would understand," his mother added.

He shook his head. "I can't give up. I can't give up on this case. Not now." He looked away, his eyes full of regret. "That'd be as though I was giving up on her, and I already did that to her once," he said softly. He looked at them, his eyes now full of fierce determination. "I know I have to go through this for her sake. And I will. For her, and for my client too. He's innocent. I just know it."

His parents stood up and smiled at him. "Then we're sure you'll do it Darien," his Dad encouraged.

"I'm...I'm sorry I totally lashed out on you and pushed you away. And I'm sorry I never called you and that I continuously ignored you too. I've been such a horrible son." Darien held his head down in shame.

"No you haven't dear," his Mom responded, lifting his chin up with her fingers. "You just reacted, that's all." She caressed his cheek with her thumb. "But you need to remember that we're here for you. Even if the whole world turns against you, you'll _always_ have us." His Dad nodded.

"I know. Thanks Mom, Dad. I love you guys."

"We love you too, Darien." The trio hugged each other.

Once they separated, Darien asked, "Do you guys want to stay the night?"

"No, no. We have to get going. We've got to get home and get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow morning."

His Mom elaborated. "One of our fellow partners' child is getting married, so we're going to attend the ceremony."

"Oh, alright then. Maybe another time. Or I'll try to come visit you."

He led them to the door. His Mom turned around and gave him another hug and a kiss on his cheek. "Take care of yourself, alright honey?"

"I will Mom."

"No more drinking. You know how bad that is for you!"

"Yes Mom," he said, rolling his eyes, but grinning nonetheless.

"Darien." His father began, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "If you need anything, just let us know. We're only a phone call away."

"I know Dad. Thanks."

"And make sure you kick butt at that trial. I know you'll prove your client not guilty."

"I sure will. Thank you. Bye."

Darien shut the door behind them. He sighed. "Those two. They've always been there for me. I wish I'd been nicer. Oh well. I'll make it up to them one day. But right now, I should get some sleep."

He stopped by his fridge once more, contemplating whether to continue his search for a drink. His mother's words echoed in his mind, and he grabbed a bottle of water instead and made his way to his bed.

* * *

"You know, you coming here the first two times was okay, but now you're really starting to get on my nerves! So do us all a big favor and get out of here!"

Darien was shocked. He was expecting a warm welcome, but was instead rudely confronted by the young nurse. 'Well, given the way I greeted my own parents when they came to my home, I guess I can say I probably deserved that.' He watched as she marched off down the hall. He turned his attention to her cousin, who was sighing.

"You'll have to excuse my cousin, Darien. If you were a patient, she would've been a lot nicer to you. She's been distraught these past few days." Fiona's eyes were downcast. "She's been like this since she heard about…Serena," she explained.

"Oh…I see…" Darien could understand how the young nurse must have felt. "Anyway, there's something that I must have overlooked when I first came here and talked to you two. I was wondering…if Ms. Sterling had any enemies."

"Enemies? Hm…I think you actually did ask us that question when you first came here, and I think Tina and I said no."

"Right…I saw that in my case notes. But you're absolutely positive that there was no one who could have possibly had a grudge against her?" Darien pressed.

"Gosh…I really don't think so, Darien. Everyone got along so well with her. It's hard to even think of a reason why someone could get mad at her."

"Ah, Mr. Shields. What a pleasure it is to see you again!" Yolanda walked up to him. "Back to further investigate?"

"Yes. I was just asking Fiona here if there was anyone who may have had a grudge against Ms. Sterling."

"You can't think of anyone, can you, Yolanda? I mean, who could possibly have something against _Serena_?! She's probably one of the sweetest people I've ever known!"

Darien was only half-listening to what Fiona was saying; instead, his attention was on the elderly nurse. He had seen her eyes darken immensely when he'd posed the question.

"I'm afraid I must disagree with you, Fiona," she began. The younger nurse's eyes bugged out of her head. "I forgot you and your cousin only just came into this department half a year ago. You weren't here...at that time."

"At what time, Yolanda?"

Yolanda sighed heavily. "It was about a month before you and Tina came from the Cardiac department. Serena had been working here for...I believe it had been three years. After her first year here, another doctor joined us. He was a nice fellow, and a decent doctor. He certainly didn't have Serena's 'special ability,' though."

"'Special ability?'" Darien questioned.

"What I'm referring to is Serena's way of talking to and treating patients. She was always very kind and understanding, very patient, and as I'm sure the girls already told you, she could even get a smile out of the grumpiest patient." Darien nodded, allowing the nurse to continue. "The two of them immediately clicked. Most of us here referred to them as the dream team; when they were working in the ER, things went relatively smoothly. That was a good second year for Serena. And then, the trouble began. Serena was the first one to notice."

"Notice what?"

"This new doctor...he tended to be a show off, but that was tolerable. He was also quite fond of making money. He would tell stories about his many money-making schemes from his childhood, and he told us how he'd go out every weekend, when he usually took his days off, gambling at the casinos, although Serena had informed him of how bad a habit that was, and he worked long hours too. Not as long as Serena, of course."

"Oh, I remember that! When we first got here, Tina and I were convinced that she actually lived here, in the ER!"

Yolanda chuckled. "Yes, that's our Serena for you. Such a hard worker, and so very passionate about her profession. She was always so pleasant with everyone, but when push comes to shove, she can be a tough cookie."

"Does this have to do with the other doctor?"

"Yes. Serena began to realize that he was...he was losing respect for his patients. His ultimate goal of making money was truly beginning to blind him. She scolded him many a time for not being very respectful to patients. One time, she had even yelled at him for downright refusing to care for a patient in dire need of medical attention due to some financial issue. I don't exactly recall why he wouldn't treat the patient. But Serena was fuming, though she was still always very professional. But finally, she couldn't handle something he did. Serena never forgave him for this."

"What...what was it?" Darien asked, temporarily forgetting about his investigation.

"He tried hard to keep it a secret, but Serena found out. He...he sold a patient's information to someone."

"He what?!" Fiona exclaimed.

"He sold a patient's information to someone for a large sum of money. Serena was searching for some documents in the room where the doctor's sit, and while she was shuffling through papers, she had stumbled upon these papers confirming this. She immediately brought it to the attention of the administration, and she directly called him out on it. I still remember that day so well." Yolanda's eyes had a faraway look in them. "I had never, _ever_, seen her so infuriated. Serena explicitly told him that the one thing she least tolerant of was breaching patient's confidentiality. She is very strict about confidentiality, and she was revolted by what he had done. I can still remember her then and hear her voice echo in my head. 'You sold information about a patient. They provide us with that information with complete confidence that we won't exploit it, and what did _you _do?! You sold it to someone! That's disgusting! How can you call yourself a doctor?!' She told him to his face what a disgrace he was as a doctor and how she felt so ashamed to think that he was motivated to work because he was helping people. She told him how she realized all he cared about was making money and enjoying his own life, calling him selfish and greedy. Mind you, this was when there _weren't_ any patients here."

"What happened to this doctor?" Darien wondered aloud.

"He was immediately dismissed. From what I know, he also lost his license too."

"Wow. I never knew that happened. Yolanda, why did you not tell me and Tina about this?"

"Because after the whole ordeal, Serena wanted to keep the whole thing quiet. We were already being hounded by local journalists about the scandal. It was quite stressful for her in particular, because she went to court to testify against him." Yolanda gave the younger nurse a sad smile. "She wanted to tell the two of you at one point. She really did. But..." She stopped.

"I see. So what happened to this doctor after he lost his license?" Darien tried to connect this new piece of information to his case.

"I don't really know. I think he left the area."

"Would you happen to have something about him here at the hospital?"

"It just so happens that we have his profile which we received when he first came here. You'll need to talk to one of the medical records personnel for that. However, I myself have something. I'd be glad to get rid of. I'll be right back."

"You think that doctor has some relation to this case, Darien?" Fiona asked curiously.

"It's...a possibility. I need to get more facts though."

"Right. Well, I need to get to work, but I hope you win your case Darien, and I especially hope, Tina and I hope that is, you'll expose the real culprit."

"Thanks for the help Fiona, and please tell your cousin I'm sorry to have upset her."

Not a moment too soon, Yolanda came back with something in hand.

"Here's a picture of him," she said, handing the photo to him.

Darien examined the picture carefully. "What's his name?"

* * *

"Mr. Nolan! I'm so glad to see you're doing well!"

"Ah, yes. I am doing much better now. How's the case going Darien? Any luck?"

"It's...going Mr. Nolan. I'm pretty sure that I'll be completely ready by the time the trial resumes. But...there's a specific reason I came to here to visit you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"That is...actually, before I forget, did your wife come to visit you?"

"Yes, she came every day when I was at the hospital, and she came every day I've been here at the detention center." He sighed, shaking his head. "I wish I wasn't hurting her like this. I just hate seeing her so worried. She's already got her job and the girls to worry about, and on top of all that, now she's got me to worry about."

"Mr. Nolan, don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault, remember?"

"I know. It's just that...she's been doing so much by herself. I've always admired that about her. She never changed."

"How long have you known Mrs. Nolan?"

"Wanda and I knew each other since we were five years old."

"F-Five years old?!"

Mr. Nolan nodded. "We were neighbors back then, and our parents were really good friends. We soon became friends and grew up together. Finally, when I was sixteen and she was fifteen, I asked her out on a date. We dated each other ever since then, and when she was 20, I proposed to her and we got married. We've been married for 25 years now."

"Wow. That's such a long time!"

"It's probably not that long, but yeah." Mr. Nolan let out a happy sigh. "Every time I look at her, I feel like I'm falling in love with her all over again."

'Officer Bentley and whoever else said those awful things are nuts if they think this man is even capable of considering to cheat on his wife, and that with some like Serena. Serena would _never_ do that to anyone, especially since she knew about what happened to me...'

"What are you thinking about, Darien? You spaced out for a second there."

"Hm? Oh, I was just thinking back to when I was in grade school. I had a girlfriend who I started dating in sixth grade, but I found that she cheated on me with someone else in sophomore year of high school."

'And that's when _she_ scolded me for slamming the lunch table, and then immediately offered to comfort me, and I cruelly pushed her away.' (**AN: Remember that flashback when Darien was being a complete jerk to Serena?!**)

"I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine. I had a… really good friend of mine help me get over it. But going back to what I came here for, I have something I need to show you."

Mr. Nolan nodded his head. Darien pulled out an object from his pocket and showed it to him.

Mr. Nolan's eyes filled with recognition. "What...How…?"

"Mr. Nolan...Can you please explain your reaction, if you don't mind?"

* * *

"So Officer Bentley isn't here? Again?"

'What does that guy do?!'

"Afraid not, Darien. But is there anything I can do for you before I go?"

"Where are you going?" Darien asked desperately, clearly worried.

Don laughed. "Oh, nowhere! I've just got the next couple of weeks off, but rest assured, I'll definitely be coming to see you in action at court, Darien."

"Cool. That's good to hear. Say Don. Do you know much about the victim herself?"

"You mean Serena? No, not really. I know from Officer Bentley that she's an ER doctor, and I heard she's one of the best. There isn't much more I know about her. Sorry! I wish I could be of more help to you. Sometimes I feel so useless here!"

"Hey now! You've been very helpful to me. I appreciate that! And you aren't useless! So don't say that, okay?"

"Okay."

"So Don. You know that video footage found from the camera near the victim's house? Do you think I could see that tape?"

"Oh Darien. If only I could. Officer Bentley has access to that stuff, and he won't..."

"…Let anyone but the prosecution see it. Right. I should've known. That's okay, Don." Darien heaved a sigh.

"I do know a little about the drug that was used to poison Serena."

"You do? I don't think Officer Bentley knew much about it when I asked him, and the drug test didn't say much."

"Yeah. It's a newly developed drug, a sedative. It's made by the drug company in the area. You know, the one with the major plant right here in town?"

"Ah yes, I do. Someone must've stolen the drug from there then."

"Actually, I asked them, and they said no one stole anything from there. They've got major security there, so if a person had stolen it, they'd have to be pretty clever. Even a genius, I'd say."

"Yeah, a crazy genius," Darien muttered. "Anything else?"

"Well, the chemical composition of it was quite fascinating, in my humble opinion. It's unlike any drug I've ever seen!"

"I see. So you're into chemistry, are you? That could be pretty useful for a police officer."

"Yeah, I guess it is. Would you like me to explain the drug more?"

"No, no. That won't be necessary. I was never all that great in chemistry. The last time I studied it was my senior year of high school. Not going down that road again. But I appreciate your enthusiasm! That about does it for me here for the time being."

"Alright. Hey! I'll make sure to let you know when Officer Bentley is back in his office so that if you want to come talk to him yourself, you can."

"That would be nice. Thanks for the assistance. See you. Enjoy your break!"

"Bye Darien."

"Before I go Don, can I have you number, so I can call you?"

"Oh sure! I actually have this nice business card I made for myself. Here you go! Call me whenever you need me!" Don grabbed it from his pocket and handed it to Darien.

"Thanks Don."

* * *

"It's so nice to talk to you, face-to-face, Dare."

"Yeah. I haven't really gone out much since I took on the case. How are you, Drew?"

"Oh, I've been doing well, thanks."

"And Rita?"

"Oh, she's doing just fine. Actually…" Andrew's face turned a little red.

"What? What is it? Are you hiding something from me?" Darien asked. He then gasped dramatically. "You aren't going to tell your _best_ friend in the whole world something? I am offended."

Andrew's face registered with shock. "_Best _friend? You still consider me to be your best friend?"

"Of course I do Andrew. Why would you…oh." Darien knew why he felt that way. "Look Drew. I know I've been a real jerk for not trying to keep in touch with you and everything. Trust me, I feel like an awful friend. I'm lucky that you're still even talking to me now. I just…got so consumed by my work that I pretty much made that the only thing I cared about for a long time. But I didn't see how I was pushing away the people I care about…and hurting them too. I hope you can forgive me."

"Dare. Of course I forgive you. You're my best friend. You were my first best friend. We've known each other for so long, we practically grew up together. Heck, we're like brothers! I know you well, Dare. I know why you pushed everyone away."

Darien's eyebrows went up. "You…do?" Andrew nodded. "Then, would you mind telling me, because quite frankly, even _I _don't know why I did that."

"I noticed that you started pushing everyone away after…after you and…" Andrew waved his hand. "Broke up."

"I…guess that makes sense."

"I'll explain further. It seemed like when you guys separated, you…you separated from a part of yourself, Darien. You weren't completely there."

"Yeah, now that I think about it, that is true."

"Darien. I know I've asked before, but I can't help but ask again. Why _did _you guys break up? Rita and I thought about it, but we just couldn't figure it out. You guys didn't seem to have any problems with one another. The only thing we came up with was that maybe the others somehow discovered you two got back together. Rita and I never told them, Dare. Just like we promised that we wouldn't."

"I know it wasn't you guys. You two were always so supportive of us, and I truly appreciate that. Andrew…the break up…It's really complicated. I mean _really _complicated. I want to tell you, I really do, but…I just can't. Please don't take any offense though. I didn't tell my mom and dad the real reason why."

"I understand Darien. And I respect that. Anyway, I heard you had a little run-in with our…friends."

"They may be your friends Andrew, but they certainly aren't mine."

"They told me you yelled at them for no reason."

"No reason? Of course they'd say that. Andrew, they were at this restaurant talking up a storm and laughing like nothing was wrong in the world. I couldn't help but blow up on them. It was partly due to the stress I've been dealing with, but…they're also at fault."

"I figured that you wouldn't yell at them without any basis. But…I have to say that I hate seeing you guys apart. We used to all be great friends. I wish things could go back to how they were then."

"Well, they're the cause of all of that Andrew, but I don't really want to say much more about them. And we totally digressed. What was the reason for you blushing?"

"Oh…that…well…Rita…."

"Get on with it Andrew! The anticipation is killing me!"

"She's…we're going to have a baby."

"Whoa! What?! Congratulations! You're going to be taking the next big step! I'm really happy for you Andrew!" Darien patted him on the back. "I'm going to be the godfather, right?" He asked jokingly.

"Of course. Rita and I, we already discussed that."

"Wait….you're serious? I was just joking. You don't need to."

"No. We want to."

"Wow. I'm…honored. Thank you."

"No problem."

Just then, Darien's cellphone rang. "Hello? Hey Don! Yeah? He's at his office? Great! I'll head right over. Thanks a bunch!" Darien hung up. "I'm glad we ran into each other here at the café, Drew. It was nice to catch up with you. I wish we could talk more, but I need to go visit someone."

"Right. That's fine. We can talk later, once you've proven your client innocent. Good luck Darien."

"Thanks!" Darien grabbed his things and began rushing to the door when Andrew called out to him. "What is it Drew?"

Andrew walked up to him. "You…heard about Serena, haven't you?"

Darien looked away. "Yes…I did. I…actually went to see her not too long ago."

"You alright?"

"I'm as good as I can be."

"Yeah right. I can see the pain in your eyes. You don't need to hide it from me, you know. I can sympathize with how you feel." Andrew patted his shoulder. "Take it easy, Dare. I know things must be hard on you right now, but you've got to keep fighting to the end."

"Thanks for the pep talk, Drew. I'll see you soon."

* * *

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. Lawyer."

"Hello Officer Bentley. Long time, no see."

"Right. What do you want?"

"I wanted to ask you about an order Ms. Sterling filed with Ms. Sanders."

"The restraining order? What about it?"

"Restraining order?!" Darien exclaimed. "She filed a _restraining _order?!"

'How did I not see that coming?!'

"Is that not what I just said, or are you deaf? Yes, a restraining order!" The officer barked.

"Okay. Who was it filed against?"

"I don't need to tell you that, Shields. That's for the prosecution to know."

"You seriously can't tell me?"

"Nope."

"And you can't show me the documents either, right? The same goes for the video footage from the camera near the victim's house?"

"Exactly. Finally, you seem to be starting to get it. Wait. Have you been harassing Don?"

"Who me? No, no, I haven't."

"Good. I'd hate to find out that you're pestering my assistant. He's such a good guy. He's so obedient, does everything I tell him to."

'You make your assistant sound more like your dog.'

"Great at investigations too! I left him to do most of the investigation for this case. Once he's done that, he reports right back to me. I don't have to depend on any of the other kids here."

Darien sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Well, I guess that brings my investigation to a complete standstill."

"Aw, sorry to hear that. Too bad."

'Somehow, I find that quite hard to believe, given your sarcastic tone of voice,' Darien thought to himself.

"I think it's about time you leave, Shields."

"I guess you're right. But actually, I have something I need to ask you, officer. Or rather…_show_ you."

"What is it?! It better be good! I don't like having people waste my time."

Darien pulled out his secret weapon. He was pleased with the reaction from the officer. The grumpy officer was now gaping at what Darien showed him.

"Where…where did you get that?!"

"I obtained it from a good friend of mine. Is there something wrong, officer?"

"I…" He was speechless.

'Nice! I've never seen him rendered speechless before! Touchdown for Shields!'

" _Now_ would you be willing to show me that restraining order?"

The officer looked up at Darien, regarding him carefully before opening his desk cabinet and pulling out a file. "Have a look."

Darien looked through, his suspicions reconfirmed. "Hm…well…I figured that much."

"I know what you're thinking Shields, but there's no possible way." Darien looked up at the officer. "I thought it was him, too. But this guy…" The officer shook his head. "The guy isn't in the area anymore. He moved, and…my assistant, Don. He said that the guy happened to move into the district where he worked before he came here."

'Why do I get the ominous feeling that I really _am _going to reach a stand still?'

"And Don said that they found this guy's body in his house. He apparently committed suicide."

'And I'm back to square one.'

**Thanks again for the support my dear readers! If you'd like, you're more than welcome to leave a review! I'm hard at work on the next chapter right now! **


	15. Chapter 13

**There's only two chapters left after this!**

**(To the two guests who left me reviews, thank you very much!)**

******__****__****Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!**

Chapter 13

"I've got to find a way to gain access to the other stuff the police have on the case." Darien tapped his fingers on his desk. Just then, something came to his mind.

"_If you need anything, just let us know. We're only a phone call away_._"_

Darien picked up his phone and dialed the number.

"Hello!" A cheerful voice greeted him. "Shields residence. Mrs. Shields speaking! How may I help you?"

"Hi Mom!"

"Darien! What a wonderful surprise! How are you honey?!"

Darien laughed. "I'm good Mom. Sounds like you're doing good too! I actually called because I have a favor to ask Dad."

"Here. Let me put him on...Honey!" Darien heard his mom yell. "Darien's on the phone! He has something to ask you!... Here he is Darien."

"Hey son. What's the matter?"

"Hey Dad. I'm sort of in a tough spot, and I need to get some information. I think I remember you once mentioned that you knew the police chief, right?"

"That's right. He's a good friend of mine. You need me to talk to him?"

"I just wanted to meet up and discuss something with him, but I know he's busy, so I thought maybe if you called him, it'd be easier for me to approach him."

"Sounds like a plan. I actually just talked to him last week. I'll give him a call and let you know."

"Thanks Dad. I appreciate it."

"Not a problem. Talk to you soon. Bye."

"Bye."

True to his word, Mr. Shields called Darien back. "He wants you to swing by his office as soon as you can."

"You're a lifesaver Dad! Bye!"

Darien immediately went to police chief's office. He knocked on the door.

"Come in!" A voice called out from behind it.

Darien walked in and saw a man sitting at the desk. The man looked to be a few years older than Darien's own parents. He had green eyes and brown hair. He was wearing an orange button up shirt and khaki pants. His office was like his appearance: very neat and clean.

'Thank goodness. I was a little worried it might like Officer Bentley's.'

"Ah! Don't tell me who you are. You're Darien Shields. I'm Franklin Grant. You can call me Mr. Grant or Franky."

"Um...yes, Mr. Grant. You were expecting me, correct?"

The officer chuckled. "Yes, but that's not how I knew who you are." Darien's confusion was clear on his face. The officer laughed again. "What I mean is that I knew who you were because of the way you look. You look just like your father when he was your age."

"Oh. You knew my dad then?"

"Yes, I did. He was my best friend, and still is. I know your mother, too. She happens to be friends with my wife."

"Wow. And your kids?"

"Oh. They're all living their lives all across the country. I've got grandchildren too. They visit us here sometimes, and we go visit too, my wife and I."

"That's nice."

"I knew you too. You were just a little baby when I first saw you. I think the last time we saw you, you were about five years old. You've definitely grown into a fine young man."

"Thank you sir." Darien could feel his cheeks become a little hot.

"So what brings you to my office Darien?"

"Sir, I...I need access to some information about case # SSDS133."

"Ah yes. Officer Bentley is the one assigned to that case, isn't he? I assume he hasn't been very cooperative with you."

"Oh, that's not..." Darien was cut off by the officer shaking his head.

"No Darien. I know. He's a rough one. The only reason I've kept him on is because he's got a good reputation from his past job, and he's a good officer when it matters. I figured he deserves a chance to prove himself. The place where he last worked was unfortunately a bit different in their rules."

"That makes sense as to why he's adamant about not allowing anyone but the prosecution have access to things related to the case," Darien thought out loud.

"Oh my. I was actually _not_ aware of that. That certainly won't do at all. I'm very sorry about that inconvenience Darien. Looks like I'll have to have another chat with him."

"How about you have a seat, and I'll get all of the evidence and documents from the case. Please make yourself comfortable. I'll be back in a few minutes."

While waiting, Darien thought back to his visit with Mr. Nolan.

_"Mr. Nolan...Can you please explain your reaction, if you don't mind?"_

_"That...that was the doctor who refused to look after Hilary that time we went to the hospital! And he's the one Dr. Sterling yelled at!"_

_"I knew you were going to say that."_

_"Do you think he might be behind all of this?"_

_"It's seems to be that way, Mr. Nolan."_

_"Oh no. It's because we went to the hospital that night. He got reprimanded by Dr. Sterling. Maybe he tried to attack her because of that incident."_

_"Oh no! That's certainly not it Mr. Nolan! There was already some bad blood between Ms. Sterling and this man before you went there. Apparently, she's part of the reason why he lost his medical license."_

_"I see. Well. I do hope that the police will be able to find out who committed this atrocious crime."_

_"Me too, Mr. Nolan. Me too."_

'But the doctor's dead. So that rules him out. So who could it possibly be?'

Just then, Mr. Grant returned with his hands full of various things.

"Alright Darien. I've got pretty much everything here from that case. Feel free to have a look, and I'll try to help you out as much as I can."

"Are…you allowed to do this, sir?"

"Well, as police chief, I do have the authority to look into investigations and cases myself. Don't worry. I certainly wouldn't take advantage of that power though."

"I knew you wouldn't. I didn't mean to suggest that. I'm lucky you're doing all of this for me."

"I can see you're an honest young man, Darien. I trust you. Now please, take a look at whatever you want."

The first thing Darien searched for and found was the tape from the camera. "They showed this tape in the trial, and it shows my client leaving the victim's home." The two of them watched the tape. After a burst of static, the video showed Mr. Nolan leaving Serena's house.

"This tape must be old. The beginning is a little blurry with the static," Darien mused.

"Actually Darien. I…think there's something a little odd about that static."

Darien looked at the older man. "What do you mean?"

"The tape that was used for these cameras is always brand new…They shouldn't have this kind of static." Mr. Grant examined the tape. "Hm…I think I'll have to submit this to one of the video specialists and have them take a closer look at it."

"Okay." Darien looked through the other files. "Ah yes! Sir, I put in a request to Officer Bentley to find out if this journal entry was actually forged."

"Forged? You mean to say you think someone forged this…someone here, in the department?"

"I hate to suggest such a thing, but yes. I do think it's quite possible actually. My client claims that he did _not_ write it."

"Well, we can look into that right now." Mr. Grant turned on his desktop computer, which was in one corner of his office. He motioned for Darien to come over. "Here's the flash drive which has everything the investigators found in the suspect's computer." He opened the file and selected the journal folder. "I see he wrote all of his entries in one document, it seems….This is quite a large document. It might just take me a few minutes to find this piece."

"That's fine. Please take all the time you need."

Darien sat there patiently. 'I really hope for my argument's sake that the entry was forged. Otherwise, this is going to get ugly.' He picked up an investigation report about the police search in Mr. Nolan's house. 'Hm…Looks like Officer Gold was the one who was in charge of the investigation into the computer files.'

Mr. Grant cleared his throat, causing Darien to shake his head a little. "Yes, sir? Did you find something?"

Mr. Grant stood up and moved to sit behind his desk. He was examining the entry in question very carefully.

'Please sir! Just tell me already!'

"Darien. This journal entry…"

* * *

**One week later…**

"Well Shields. This is it." He looked at himself in his bathroom mirror, making sure he looked as tip-top as possible. "This is your last chance. Mr. Nolan and his family are depending on you. I can't let them down." His hand went to touch the gold locket around his neck that he had hidden under his shirt. "And I can't let you down either, Serena."

Darien got to the court early enough that he was able to go through everything in his head. Finally, the bailiff called him inside. 'Let's get this thing over with.'

* * *

(**AN: So this wasn't exactly my favorite piece to write. It's the trial. I sort of based it off of the trials that occur in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, a video game series. If you haven't heard of it, you should google it or check it out on YouTube. It's pretty cool! Just wanted to make sure I mentioned that, because as I said before, I've never been to court before, so I have pretty much no idea how trials go…Thanks!) **

"So last time we were here, the prosecution presented the journal entry written by the defendant himself which suggests that he had pre-planned this murder attempt. Mr. Shields. Do you have any objections?"

"Yes I do, your Honor. I'd like to have my defendant come to the stand and testify about this entry."

Mr. Nolan was led to the stand. "Mr. Nolan. Please tell us about this journal you kept and about this particular entry."

"Well…One of my professors suggested that I keep a journal about the many ideas that came into my head. I usually didn't write many personal matters in it, although I have been known to write an occasional entry about some of the hardships I was going through in certain points in my life. It ended up being quite the stress-reliever."

"And what about the journal entry?"

"About that. I can say with complete confidence that I _did not_ write that entry."

Some whispers could be heard in the court until the Judge used his gavel. "Order, order! Are you claiming that this is a piece of evidence…that it's been…"

"Forged? Yes, your Honor." Darien stated.

"I object! You can't make such an outrageous claim without the proper proof!" Prosecutor Bradley exclaimed.

"But you see, I do have proof. I had the police chief look into the journal entry, and he found no such entry in the original files obtained from the investigation. I would like to submit the police chief's report as evidence."

"That's fine. However, Prosecutor Bradley. I hope you do realize what this means for you. Presenting forged evidence is a serious crime."

"Your Honor, I would like to object on behalf of Prosecutor Bradley. I believe that he was not the one to have this page forged, nor was he aware of the forgery. Rather, I assert that this was an inside job done right in the police office."

"What?! That's preposterous!"

"I agree, your Honor. However, it _is _true. I would now like for Officer Gold to be called to the stand to testify about the investigation, as it was under his control."

Officer Gold looked a little nervous as he went up to the witness stand. "Officer. Please explain to us this forged evidence."

"I admit that I was in charge of the investigation into the suspect's computer. And I happened to print out the journal just before I left. I have a copy here with me, actually, by the request of the police chief."

"The court accepts this as evidence."

"And as you can see, there is no such journal entry anywhere in this packet," Officer Gold continued.

"I see. So this does confirm Mr. Shields's claim that this evidence was forged. Mr. Shields. Do you have anything you'd like to further ask the witness?"

"Yes. Officer Gold. Who did you give this packet to after?"

"I gave it to my superior."

"And that would be?"

"Officer Bentley."

Some of the audience in the court were mumbling to each other until the judge silenced them. "Shall we call Officer Bentley to the witness stand?"

Prosecutor Bradley responded. "Yes, your Honor. The officer has much to explain to us."

Officer Bentley glared at Darien before he got onto the witness stand. "What's this nonsense I hear about forged evidence?!"

"Officer Bentley..."

"Pardon me, Mr. Shields, but I would actually like to speak with Officer Bentley myself."

"Please. By all means," Darien agreed.

"Officer Bentley. What is the meaning of this journal entry?! I thought you gave this to me saying it was a good piece of evidence. But as we have discovered just now, this is a fake! I demand an explanation!"

"I...I don't know."

"You don't know?! You're head of the whole investigation! What kind of police officer are you?!"

'Prosecutor Bradley seems pretty upset.'

"I..."

"I believe we should move on from this point for the time being, but we _will_ return to this matter," the judge continued. "Mr. Shields. Will you please continue with your argument?"

"As I mentioned at the last trial, I do not believe my client has committed this crime. Why do I think this, besides the fact that he _is_ my client? Because of the way the attack was executed. According to the police report and the medical report, the victim was stabbed with a 1000 mL syringe which contained a newly developed sedative which, in large amounts, has been proven to be lethal."

"What's your point, Mr. Shields?"

"Mr. Bradley. How do you suggest my client could've obtained all of these medical supplies? A syringe, maybe that is possible. But what about this drug? It was developed at our local plant here in town. He would've had to have stolen it from the plant, and as I'm sure all of us here know, it's close to impossible to steal anything from the plant, given their excellent security. Not only that, they have confirmed the fact that nothing was stolen from them."

"That is a good point, Mr. Shields. It is quite hard to believe that the defendant could get this drug."

"Not to mention, this drug has yet to be made available to the public. The only person who could actually get a hold of this drug would be…say…a doctor."

"So this does shed some doubt on the prosecution's claim that Mr. Nolan is the culprit."

"So it does," Prosecutor Bradley conceded.

"I want to go back to the issue with Officer Bentley. I would like to call yet another witness."

"Who is it that you want to call, Mr. Shields?"

"Officer Donald Walters."

Don came to the stand. "I'm sorry about having to call you onto the stand, Don. But I need your testimony about what you saw at the crime scene and about Officer Bentley as well."

"Sure Darien. About the crime scene, I was the first one on the scene. I found Serena on the floor of her living room. She had a stab wound on the front, and a head injury. I called for immediate backup and an ambulance."

"Nothing out of ordinary at the scene, correct?" Darien pressed.

"That's right."

"Now tell us about Officer Bentley," Prosecutor Bradley demanded.

"Officer Bentley is my superior. He's in charge of the investigation. He always takes a look at the stuff given to him by the officers."

"Okay. What about his involvement in the investigation?"

"He doesn't actually go out and investigate. Usually we bring everything we get from the investigation to him, as I said."

"What a great officer," Prosecutor Bradley spoke sarcastically. "This is the first time I've had the...ahem..._pleasure_ to work with him."

"So he makes you guys investigate. Right. I'm afraid there is something I must ask you about, Don. Something that we discussed once."

"The...the order?" Don squirmed a little.

"I'm sorry Don. I know how you feel about this, but I'm afraid you need to reveal what you heard."

Don sighed. "Right. Anyway, Officer Bentley was talking with someone else about the order that Serena had filed against an individual a while ago. He claimed that she had an affair with this man."

"And?" Darien pressed.

"And he claimed that...the defendant was the man...who Serena was having an affair with."

"Oh my! But...Mr. Nolan's married! Why would he cheat on his wife?!" The judge asked.

"Good question, your Honor. I guess we wouldn't know unless we ask Officer Bentley himself."

"What's your point with this testimony, Mr. Shields? I personally feel that we've just wasted our time."

"Ah, that maybe so Mr. Bradley, but I have a reason for wanting this witness's testimony. If you will please call your attention to the actual restraining order the victim had filed."

"Yes?" The judge was looking at the order, as was Prosecutor Bradley.

"This restraining order was filed against a former doctor. What does that have to do with Mr. Nolan?"

"It really doesn't have anything to do with him, does it? This means that Officer Bentley...was lying about this order."

"Oh my. This is looking bad for Officer Bentley. But what of this doctor? Couldn't it be possible that _he_ could have been the one who attacked the victim?"

"That is plausible, your Honor..." Prosecutor Bradley added.

"If I may add this to my testimony, I'm afraid that's not true, sir. In my old district where I worked, this man was found dead in his home. I happened to be the one who found his body."

"Is that so, Mr. Don?"

"I'm afraid so. Um...are you going to arrest Officer Bentley?"

"Given the way this case is going, that seems highly likely, Don. Why do you ask?" The judge asked.

"I...I don't like the idea that he's going to get arrested because of me. I believe he's a good guy."

"I understand your feelings, Don, but I'm afraid it has to be done."

"Okay then. Back to our trial at hand. Now what, Mr. Shields? Are you just stalling this trial? You may have cast doubt on the theory that your client was the culprit, but then, who else could it have been? Had the doctor been alive, yes, we could probably very easily say it was him, but he obviously committed suicide, and that was before the attack on the victim. I don't think your argument is strong enough."

(**AN: In Ace Attorney, the judge is easily swayed into believing that the prosecution is right…Hopefully, that provides a good enough explanation for what happens next**).

"Mr. Shields. It isn't too late for your client to plead guilty. What's your choice?"

'I guess they really want us to plead guilty. This truly is it, Darien. You've got to plan this right. You've got this.'

"Your Honor. The defense pleads not guilty." There was a murmur in the courtroom.

"Order, order in the court! Is that all Mr. Shields?"

"No, your Honor. The defense…also wishes to indict someone. The defense indicts…Mr. Donald Walters."

***Gasp* What is he doing? Why is he accusing the officer? Is it really the officer's fault? Or does Darien have a trick up his sleeve….hm…What do you guys think?**

**Again, with the whole trial, this was based of the Ace Attorney series, so it probably has many errors in it, so please don't take it seriously. Thanks!**


	16. Chapter 14

**Welcome to my new followers! You made it just in time!**

**There's only one chapter left after this one! **

**This is a really, **_**really, **__**really**_**long chapter. It's officially the longest chapter. **

**Now, this trial…is not at all accurate. I can't imagine this actually happening in the real world, so please do keep that thought in mind as you read. It might be a slight bit…confusing. (You have been warned…)**

**_Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!_**

Chapter 14

"M...m...me? Why me?"

"Mr. Shields. That is a very serious accusation you just made right here. You do understand that, don't you?" The judge warned.

"Yes, your Honor. I do. I'm positive that this man is guilty."

"Do explain this to us, Mr. Shields. If no one else, _I_ am dying to know," Prosecutor Bradley said.

"I didn't realize it at first, but as I continued talking to Mr. Walters, I became a slight bit suspicious. For one thing, he was the one who handled most of the information and evidence for this case. Doesn't that allow him free access to do whatever he wants to with it? Also, Officer Bentley placed a lot of trust on this man, even believing that the evidence he was providing him was in pristine condition. Not faked, in other words."

"That's right, Mr. Shields. I do recall talking to Mr. Walters a lot about this case. In fact, I consulted _him_ more than I did Officer Bentley."

"Yes, exactly. In addition, he was the first one on the crime scene. According to the police report, it took a few minutes for the rest of the police to arrive at the scene, allowing Mr. Walters enough time to do what he needed to in order to cast off any suspicion against himself."

"But then explain the video footage we saw, Mr. Shields. It clearly shows _your_ client leaving the victim's home," the judge countered.

"Ah yes. The tape. I would like for us to watch the tape again."

The tape was played, and again, it shows Mr. Nolan leaving the house.

"Mr. Walters. Do you have anything to say about the tape?"

"Hm? No…there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. The only thing I have to say is that it's solid proof that the defendant _is _guilty."

"Of course. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this tape." Don gave Darien an odd look.

'Man, you are _so _clueless. And you call yourself a police officer.'

"May I bring everyone's attention to the static at the beginning of the tape?" The tape was rewound and paused at the moment when the static occurred. "There's the burst of static."

"The tape was probably used too many times. There's nothing much to it." Don responded, shrugging his shoulders.

"Ah, but that's where you are misinformed, Mr. Walters. I spoke with the police chief and showed him the video tape myself, and _he _was the one who pointed this out to me. He told me that the tapes used for this kind of surveillance are always brand new. They shouldn't have any static. After checking some records, we confirmed that the tape used was indeed a new one. Further inspection of this tape revealed that this tape…was tampered with."

A few gasps were heard in the audience. "Mr. Shields. Do know how the tape was tampered with?"

"Luckily, the video specialist was able to recover some footage that was erased and rearranged. The original video should be here shortly."

Officer Bentley had been escorted out of the court, and now, he had returned. "Your Honor, I have this tape I am supposed to give you," he said, walking to the Judge's bench and handing him an envelope.

"Wait! I want you to get back on the stand, Officer Bentley!" Prosecutor Bradley demanded. Officer Bentley looked kind of dull, and he didn't put up any resistance. "Officer Bentley. I would like to ask you about this tape?"

"What tape?"

"The video footage of the defendant leaving the victim's home. The evidence I had presented at the last trial."

"I wasn't at the last trial."

"Right. Please watch and tell us what you notice about this video."

Upon watching, Officer Bentley shrugged. "There's nothing really all that odd about it, maybe save for that static at the beginning."

"What about the static?" Prosecutor Bradley pressed.

"Well…it's normal if it's a used tape, but not normal if it's new."

"Do you know whether that tape was old or new?"

"I have no idea."

"It's new, Officer Bentley." The officer looked to Darien, who had now spoken.

"It's…new?" Officer Bentley was now deep in thought. "That…that means…that the tape…"

"What, Officer?" Prosecutor Bradley asked.

"The tape must've…must've been…messed with."

"Officer Bentley! Did you _not _look at this video prior to giving it to me?! How could you miss such a mistake?!"

'Officer Bentley looks like he actually feels…bad.'

"I…I guess I didn't really notice. Don was the one who showed me the video."

"Wait. Did you just say Don was the one who showed you video?" Darien interjected.

"Yes…that's what I said. Why?"

Darien then realized it. "Officer Bentley. The static occurs during the first five seconds of the video. What exactly did Don show you?"

"He just showed me the video of the defendant leaving the house, or rather, the video began about a few seconds before that moment."

"Officer Bentley. Are you aware of the fact that this video was altered?"

"What?! No way…That's impo…Actually. Given that static, it _is _possible, almost guaranteed that it was. But let me tell you one thing. I swear on my police badge that I _did not _alter that video!"

"Kind of hard to believe that, Officer."

"Actually, Prosecutor Bradley. It isn't that hard to believe. As you recall, Mr. Walters himself did testify that Officer Bentley did little investigation. I believe his laziness would hinder him from doing such a thing. Plus, he wouldn't benefit in any way, shape, or form from altering evidence. In fact, he'd lost his job and his license. It'd make no sense for him to do something like that. And speaking of Mr. Walter's testimony, there is something I would like you to testify about, Officer Bentley."

"Sure. Ask away," the officer said defeatedly, his head down a little.

"Okay…Your assistant, Mr. Walters, Don. He testified a little earlier that _you _were telling a colleague of yours that regarding the restraining order the victim filed against a man, she was dating this man, _and…_you claimed that this man was Mr. Nolan."

"What?! I never said that! The only thing I said was that given that the doctor worked with the victim at the local ER, there's a good chance that maybe the victim and this doctor she eventually filed a restraining order against were dating. I was considering that maybe this doctor was the one who's actually guilty."

'Can I truly believe his testimony?'

"Besides. The restraining order wasn't filed against the suspect. He's in no way related to it at all!"

"I see we agree each other on this fact. So how do you explain what Mr. Walters told me and the court?"

"He…he said that?" Officer Bentley looked shocked. "No way…that kid…he's a good kid."

"I'm sorry to say that you're wrong, Officer. He was the one who altered the video, and he made up this lie about you. He's basically been taking advantage of your lack of attention."

"Officer Bentley. Just one last thing. Could you please provide us with your alibi?"

"My…alibi?"

"Yes? I have yet to see your alibi for this case."

"Prosecutor Bradley. He was the police officer assigned with this case. Surely you aren't considering that he had something to do with it?" Darien couldn't believe what the prosecutor was suggesting.

"I want to be sure, Mr. Shields. Now then, Officer. Prove to us that you weren't at the scene of the crime."

"The day of the crime, I was at the police office. I was having a meeting with the police chief when we got the news that a 911 call had been made and that a young woman was found in her home, nearly dead."

"Hm…That _is _a solid alibi, but we should get confirmation from the police chief himself," Prosecutor Bradley said.

"That can always be obtained later, Prosecutor Bradley. Right now, we must focus on the defense's claim. How about we watch this video we just received?"

"Wait your Honor!" Darien yelled out. "I feel that we should leave the video to the end! I would like to further explain my accusation."

"Any objections, Prosecutor Bradley?"

"No."

"Alright then. Continue, Mr. Shields."

"Hold up. You…you're accusing my _assistant _of trying to murder the victim?!"

"Oh. I forgot you weren't here for that part of the trial, Officer, but yes. I am."

"Are you crazy?! What kind of motive would he have to kill that woman?!"

"All shall be revealed, Officer. Now, if Mr. Walters could be brought back to the stand?" Don once again took the stand. "Mr. Walters…I have a question for you. Do you know the defendant?"

"Who, that guy, Nolan? No, I don't."

"I see…And how about the victim?"

"Serena? Nope. Don't know her either."

"Interesting…You don't know her, do you?"

"No. I don't."

"I have to admit that I find that quite hard to believe. For someone who doesn't know the victim at all, you seem to have no trouble addressing her by her first name."

"It's not _that _big of a deal."

"Maybe not. But the way you say her name…it's as though you know her…knew her…quite well. As though you'd met her and talked to her."

"I don't get what you're trying to suggest, Mr. Shields."

"You don't, do you? You'll know soon enough. Now…about the doctor who the victim filed a restraining order against. What do _you _know about him?"

"I know he was a doctor, and he committed suicide in the district where I worked before I moved here."

"That's all you know?"

"Yup."

"So you didn't bother to look into the doctor's background? Like where he was from? Who was his family? No other information about him?"

"None whatsoever."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why didn't you look into all of that?"

"Because I didn't think it was relevant to the case. The man's dead, after all."

"Not relevant to the case…So you don't think the fact that the victim filed a restraining order against this man was a point worth investigating?"

"Nope, I didn't, and I still don't."

"Mr. Shields…if you would please speed things up a little," the judge spoke impatiently.

"Of course. So…then you're claiming that you aren't aware of the fact that Ms. Sterling worked closely with this doctor for a year and a half in the same hospital ER? That they were colleagues? And that you didn't know that he lost his medical license…because of a dirty secret that Ms. Sterling exposed?"

"Hm…no. Like I said, I didn't investigate into the doctor at all."

"And I asked you why, and you claimed that it had nothing to do with the case. How can you be so sure of that? How do you know that maybe someone in this doctor's family didn't decide to take revenge against Ms. Sterling ruining his medical career, hm? Or how do you know that maybe this doctor had hired someone to murder Ms. Sterling? What made you so sure?"

Don didn't say a word. He just stood there, rather calm.

"I'll tell you what made you so sure…or rather…why you didn't investigate. You already _knew _of this doctor's past. You knew of his relation to Ms. Sterling, and how it was her fault, for lack of a better term, that his license was revoked."

"That's quite a claim, Mr. Shields. What are you proposing? That this man did the dirty work for a deceased doctor?"

"Prosecutor Bradley…That's a good theory, and for a while, that's what I believed; however, that's not the case here."

"Then explain, Mr. Shields," the judge commanded.

"Mr. Walters…you say that the doctor…the man who Ms. Sterling filed the restraining order against…that he's dead?"

"Yes. He committed suicide."

"Wrong. Do you have proof of that?"

"I was the one who found his body!"

"We just proved here in the court that you altered a piece of evidence, Mr. Walters. Do you really think we're going to easily believe you now?!" The judge shouted.

"Excellent point, your Honor. That's just what I was going to say. You really are a smart man, Mr. Walters."

"I know. Thanks Mr. Shields...hm? Did you just compliment me?"

"I guess you can't tell when someone's being sarcastic, can you?" Darien grinned, but he then frowned immediately. "Ladies and gentlemen. Prosecutor Bradley, your Honor. I have yet another declaration to make."

"What now Mr. Shields? Certainly you've already shocked us as much as you possibly can right now."

"Then I'm afraid you're going to have to brace yourself, your Honor. This man who is standing here on the witness stand…is not who he says he is."

"What do you mean?" Officer Bentley asked from his seat in the audience.

"What I mean is that this man…Donald Walters…is actually…Donovan Diamond!"

"WHAT?!" Prosecutor Bradley yelled.

Officer Bentley stood up. "ARE YOU INSANE?!"

The courtroom erupted in loud chatter.

"Order, order, ORDER! Order in the court!" The judge slammed his gavel many times to get everyone to quiet down. "Mr. Shields. Now you are just being downright outrageous! What you're saying isn't even possible!"

"I know, your Honor. But please allow me to confirm what I just stated by further questioning Mr….Walters…" Darien now looked at Don. "You obviously thought no one would look into the doctor's suicide, did you?"

"I don't understand."

"I made a phone call, which was monitored by one of the detectives at the police office, to one of the hospitals in the area where you previously worked, and they told me that no such person had died."

"Who says he was brought to a hospital?"

"Not a bad point. Then, I had the police chief call the police station where _you _used to work. Not only did they tell us that no such doctor was ever found to have committed suicide, but in fact, when we mentioned your name, they said they never had a man by the name of Donald Walters ever work there!"

"How did this man get hired for the job here then? Wasn't a background check done on him?!" Prosecutor Bradley asked incredulously.

"This man was hired before the current police chief was appointed. Apparently, the last police chief did not really look into this man's background."

"Well, he was fired for being an awful police chief anyway, so it isn't a surprise that he would've hired such a man," the judge added.

"Exactly. Unfortunately, this man did an exceptional job fooling the other officers into thinking that he was experienced in law enforcement, so they didn't suspect a thing."

"Okay. So you proved I didn't work at a police office before I came here and that the doctor didn't die. I'm still not convinced," Don countered, a hint of a smirk on his face.

"If the doctor didn't die though, that means he's still alive."

"How do you know that?" Don challenged him. "Can you prove that?"

"Thanks to you, not only can I prove that he's alive, but I can indeed prove that he's…right here in this room."

"What?!" Don asked, his eyes wide. "But there's no one here who looks like the man pictured in the restraining order photo."

'Is that fear I see lurking in those deceitful eyes of his?'

"Looks…can be deceiving, Mr. Walters. But, I shouldn't have to tell _you _of all people, should I?" Darien cleared his throat. "Mr. Walters was so kind as to give me his business card not too long ago. It was very nice."

"Thank you."

"Like I said before, Mr. Walters. Thank _you_. You handed me the card with your own right hand."

"How's this important, Mr. Shields?" The judge was quite confused.

"If you look in the restraining order, the doctor signed the order with his written signature…and a fingerprint. I had a forensic scientist look this fingerprint and compare it with the ones left by Mr. Walters…What they found…was that the fingerprints were an identical match."

"Oh my goodness."

"That evidence should be included with the tape, your Honor."

The judge checked. "It is…"

"Now, if you'll please play us the original, unaltered tape."

The tape was played. First, it showed Mr. Nolan leaving the house, and a few seconds later, once Mr. Nolan was out of the frame, and a very familiar figure walked into the frame, made his way into the house, came out soon, and in a couple of minutes, drove up in his cop car and walked into the house once more.

The courtroom was dead silent, until a little laugh was heard. "Heh, heh, heh. Ha ha ha. HA HA HA!" Everyone's attention went to the man at the stand. "Well, well, well. Mr. Shields here figured it all out, has he?"

"Are…are you actually confessing?!"

"Maybe I am, and maybe I'm not. What's it to you, Judge?"

'Finally. He's showing his true colors.'

"Congratulations. You unmasked me. I am not the man most of you have come to know me as, Donald Walters. My real name...is Doctor Donovan Diamond."

"Might I remind you that you aren't a doctor anymore?"

Donovan smirked at the judge. "Does it look like I actually care about what you have to tell me? I consider myself to still be a doctor."

"But what you did was awful! Leaking a patient's private information for your own personal monetary gain! And you denied care for my daughter who was practically dying!"

This was the first time Mr. Nolan had spoken when he wasn't on the witness stand.

"Oh shut up! I don't care about the plights of poor people like yourself."

"Okay fine. Forget about me and the 'poor people.' How could you do such a terrible thing to Dr. Sterling?!"

Darien was flabbergasted. He had never seen Mr. Nolan so angry before. 'I didn't think he was capable of even _being _angry.'

"Are you _actually_ asking me that? She ruined my career! It's because of her that I lost my license! There was no other job I could take to make as much money as I did when I was a doctor! Not to mention my reputation was ruined! I couldn't walk out in public! All because she had to open her big mouth about what I did!"

"She did the right thing by reporting you! What you did was wrong...unethical!"

"So?! If she minded her own business, she'd still be alive! Now, she's dead."

Darien couldn't help but slam his hands down. "She's not dead!" He yelled angrily.

"Oh! What a sudden outburst from you! Can't you accept the reality of the situation?! She isn't going to survive! Trust me, I was a doctor. Deserves it too, that sad excuse for a woman!"

"Don't you _dare_ talk about her like that!" Darien hissed, his eyes flashing.

"You pathetic, lawyer. I never liked you, Shields. I hoped that you would lose this trial. If you hadn't ratted me out, I was planning on sabotaging your career next!"

"Me? Why me? What did _I_ do to you?"

"What did _you_ do to _me_?! Why...Serena would still be alive if it weren't for you."

"W...what?!"

Donovan nodded, a sinister smile on his face. "You know why she filed a restraining order against me! I was stalking her. I followed her everywhere she went, save for her own home and the hospital. She knew I was following her, and she confronted me, several times! She thought I was mad at her for causing me to lose my license, and I was. But I made her an offer that she shouldn't have refused."

"What's that?"

"I told her that I would leave her alone if she would go out with me."

"You...what?" The judge asked. "That's...quite stupid."

"I know. Why would she give up such an offer?"

"No. I meant you. Did you think she was going to accept?"

"I certainly did think so."

"But that's quite too suspicious. It would've been fairly easy to tell that you had some kind of sinister trick up your sleeve."

"Need you rub it in my face?! She refused me, just as I feared she would. And for the same reason too."

"So the two of you didn't date each other when you guys worked in the ER together, I gather? And what do you mean by 'the same reason?'"

"That's right, judge. We didn't, although I tried, many a time I tried to win her heart. Before the whole scandal I got involved in, when I first joined the hospital, I fell head over heels in love with her. She was good-looking, a doctor who made good money, and a bonus: she was very intelligent. We were such a good pair together. The 'dream team,' they'd call us. Finally, one day, I plucked up the courage to ask her out on a casual date. She politely declined. Again, I asked her on another one, and she declined. Eventually, I directly came out and asked her out on a real date, and she refused, telling me she wasn't really interested in dating at the time. I am quite the persistent fellow, so I asked her once more, and when she answered no, I asked her why. She hesitated, and I told her that it was breaking my heart that she wouldn't date me, and it was only worse to not know the reason why she wouldn't go out with me. So she told me."

"Told you what?" Darien questioned.

"About a person who she was already madly in love with and couldn't give up on."

'Whoa. Didn't see that coming. I...guess she really did move on.'

"I was devastated. I asked her how long they'd been dating, and why she never spoke of him. Her response was that she'd rather not talk about her dating life in public, that it was a private matter. She tried to avoid answering my other question. I pressed her about it, until she had no choice but to tell me so that I would leave her alone once and for all."

"I...I see." Darien cleared his throat, trying to prevent his dismay from appearing in his voice. "What did she say?"

"She told me that they had dated for five years, and that her heart belonged to him and only him."

"I wonder who this man was?"

Donovan glared at Darien. "What did you just say? _You wonder who he is?! _You...buffoon!"

"What?! Why are you so upset?!"

"She was talking about _you_, Darien Shields!"

"What?! No way! That's impossible! Do you know that I..."

"Broke up with her five years after dating, just a short time after you proposed to her?! Yes! She told me all of that! She told me all about how the two of you fell in love and how your friends were against it and forced you to break up with each other, and that even after everything the two of you went through together, you broke up with her."

"Right. Then it's obvious that she wasn't referring to me. She probably had another boyfriend or something."

"Don't you get it, Shields, you idiot?! She explicitly told me that she loved _you_, Darien Shields! She loved you! She always loved you! She never _stopped_ loving you! Even after you shattered her heart, even though she could've had any man she desired who would not betray her so, she _still_ loved you!"

Darien couldn't believe what this criminal was telling him. "No...I can't believe that..."

"You should! That's why she would always refuse me! _You_ got in my way! When I gave her the option of dating me in exchange for me to stop stalking her, she _still_ refused me, because she loved you! Now do you get it?!"

Darien's knees felt a little weak, and he gripped his desk tightly to help him stay standing. 'She...she still loved me? After all this time...'

"So Mr. Wal...I mean, Mr. Diamond. You admit to having tried to kill Ms. Sterling, do you not?" Prosecutor Bradley finally said something after a long period of being silent.

"Yes. I did. I guess I can't hide anything anymore. But does it matter to me? No. Because I've fulfilled my mission. I succeeded in getting my revenge on the woman who destroyed my career, and in doing so..." He shot an evil smile at Darien. "I've also brought terrible pain to the one man who stood in the way of my love life. As far as I'm concerned, I'm deeply satisfied."

"Why you little brat!" Officer Bentley called out from where he was sitting. "How dare you disguise yourself as a police officer and dirty that uniform by trying to kill someone?! You disgusting creature!"

"Ha! You're one to talk! At least I was _pretending_ to be an officer, unlike you! You call yourself the real deal, and yet, I was able to get away with so much because of you. Now that I think about it, I really should be thanking you for having so much confidence in me."

Officer Bentley's eyes widened, and he looked down at the ground, holding his head in shame.

"Just for the record, would you tell us how you attacked the victim?" Prosecutor Bradley had his one ready to take notes, as did some of the other police officers in the room.

"Pretty simple. The drug I used...it was trial sample I received from the local plant a few months before I was stripped of my license. They give us doctors free samples that are large in quanitity. I have syringes at home, not that dramatic. I went into Serena's house, hit her on the head with the syringe, causing her to fall to the floor and then stabbed her with the syringe. Simple. You're probably also wondering how I came to be Donald Walters. I changed up my appearance and came up with a fake ID and fake papers. Again, simple. I was hired instantly at the police department here, and I planned out the whole thing from that point."

"Well then. Mr. Donovan Diamond. You're going to be placed under arrest for the attempted murder of Ms. Serena Sterling. Officers, please escort this man out of the room." Once the officers got him out of the room, the Judge shuddered. "What a vile man. To think that he tried to kill such a wonderful young lady and then disguised himself as a police officer. All to get revenge for his own mistake." The judge then cleared his throat. "I must say, Mr. Shields. This was quite an...unorthodox trial that just occurred here; you happened to find the true culprit of the crime, and have seemingly proved your case. However, the jury still must discuss and provide the verdict, so please, members of the jury. Go to the jury room and discuss your verdict. You should talk for at least ten minutes, and then for however much longer you need to. We shall go into a temporary recess until further notice."

Ten minutes later, the jury came back. "The defendant has been found..." The judge began. "Not guilty."

Everyone cheered in the courtroom for the victory. "Court is adjourned.

Finally, it was all over.

* * *

"Mr. Shields! Great job!"

"Superb job, Mr. Shields!"

"Fantastic work!"

Darien was lauded for his not guilty verdict. Even Prosecutor Bradley had given him a shake hand and congratulated him on his success.

"Hey! Shields!" Darien heard a familiar voice call to him.

"Officer Bentley."

"Hey. I...I just wanted to say...good job in there. You were right. You were able to prove that Mr. Nolan was indeed not guilty of the crime. The chief said congrats too."

"Um, thanks."

'I'll tell the chief myself later.'

"I also came here to...to apologize to you."

"Apologize?"

"Yes. I have been very rude and unhelpful to you when I should've helped you. You were always so good to me, though. I hope you can forgive me."

"It's alright Officer Bentley. No hard feelings here."

"Thanks. I...I really learned my lesson. I guess I really did get lazy...and I lost focus of what my job is. I just stand around and let others do my dirty work, and that lead to someone committing a crime. It was unacceptable. That's why I talked with the police chief. He's agreed to keep me on, with the condition that I go drop to the lowest rank."

"The lowest level of a police officer? What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm going back to being a rookie. I'm gonna have many more bosses above me, but no one for _me_ to boss around. Not to mention that I'll actually be out doing real, productive work. I want to reform myself."

"That's great, sir. I'm glad to hear it. You'll be a great officer, and I'm sure you'll definitely make it back up there, and you will truly have deserved it then."

"Thanks. I hope to see you again soon, Darien. Bye."

"Me too, Officer Bentley. Bye."

As the officer left, two girls came and wrapped their arms around an unsuspecting Darien.

"Thank you so much for saving Daddy!" Hilary had a big smile on her face.

"Yes, thanks. You saved his life," Hallie said, a small smile on her face. Her eyes did twinkle though.

"You're welcome girls."

"Darien. Thank you so much. How will we ever repay you?"

"Mrs. Nolan, please. You don't need to repay me."

"But...don't we have to pay you for your services?"

Darien shook his head. "There's no need for that. I make plenty of money enough as it is."

"Are...are you sure?"

"Positive, Mrs. Nolan. I'll even sign a document saying so, if necessary."

"Oh no. It isn't."

"Darien."

They all turned to see Mr. Nolan. He hugged his daughters and his wife before he walked over to Darien. "I wish there was a better way for me to thank you Darien, other than just saying so."

"You don't need to thank me, Mr. Nolan. It's a part of my job, and I happen to love my job."

"I know. She was right." Mr. Nolan had a gentle smile on his face.

"Who was right, Mr. Nolan?"

"Darien. There's a reason why _you_ became my lawyer. You know what that reason is?" Darien shook his head. "I requested you."

"You requested _me_?" Darien pointed to himself.

Mr. Nolan nodded. "How did I come to know of you? You might be wondering that. It was...Dr. Sterling. She had recommended you as a great lawyer. She urged me to consult and hire you if I ever did get into any legal trouble. I remember exactly what she told me about you. 'He's a wonderful lawyer who will fight for his client and is willing to make exceptions when it comes to not being able to pay. He won't let you down or abandon you. He's a trustworthy man. I recommend him. You'll love him.'"

"Oh...I...see."

"That's what I meant by she was right. Anyway, I was going to take the family out to dinner. We would be delighted to have you join us."

Just then, Darien's boss came by. "Congratulations on your not guilty verdict, Mr. Nolan. Darien. Excellent job in court today! You really got through it and was able to prove your client not guilty, despite the bad circumstances. We're having a party at the office to celebrate our many victories. How about you bring Mr. Nolan and his family with you?"

"Actually, I was going to take my family out to eat, but thank you so much for the offer, sir." Mr. Nolan turned to Darien. "It's fine if you can't come with us, Darien. But we expect to see you swing by our house once in a while and visit, alright?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Nolan. Bye you guys! Enjoy!" Darien waved to the family, and then turned to his boss. "Mr. Hoffman. Thank for the invite."

"But?" Mr. Hoffman asked knowingly.

"But...there's something important I have to do, and it can't wait."

"I understand Darien."

"Thank you sir, but please do tell everyone I said hi and congratulations." Darien rushed through the courthouse and left.

* * *

"I won. I actually pulled it off. I was able to get Mr. Nolan off the hook. I still can't believe it, even now. I didn't think this case would've ended up where it did." He let out a small laugh. "Now, Donovan's in jail awaiting his trial, Mr. Nolan and his family have been reunited at last, and even Officer Bentley is looking to make amends and become a better officer. Looks like everyone's got their happy ending. Well…not everyone…"

He thought back to half an hour earlier.

* * *

_Darien held a bouquet of red roses in his arms as he was going up in the elevator. Upon reaching the correct floor, he got out and walked to the room, only to find two people leaving it._

"Mr. and Mrs. Sterling."

The couple looked up at Darien. They managed to put a smile on their faces, despite their red eyes.

"Hello Darien. It's been such a long time since we've seen you," Mrs. Sterling said.

'She hasn't changed much,' Darien thought as he looked at her. She had dirty blonde hair that went to her shoulders and brown eyes.

"We heard about your victory in court today. Congratulations." Mr. Sterling patted him on the back. He had brownish-black hair and blue eyes.

"_Thank you, Mr. Sterling."_

_"We would've come to see it, but..." Mrs. Sterling's voice trailed off, her smile fading. Her eyes gazed at the closed door they were standing in front of._

_"Um...how...how is she?"_

_"You must've heard from the doctor about her condition." Darien nodded. "Well, she hasn't gotten better. They...they don't think she has much time left." Mr. Sterling lowered his eyes a little. "But we wanted to thank you for finding the person...who did this to her."_

_"You shouldn't thank me, Mr. Sterling."_

_"We should. You brought her attacker to justice."_

_"Yes, you did, Darien. Thank you for that. I know..." Mrs. Sterling sniffles a bit, wiping her eye with a handkerchief. "If Serena were here, she'd thank you."_

_Darien nodded again. "You can go and see her, if you want. This...might be the last time you...see her like this." Mr. Sterling motioned to the door._

"_Right…thank you…" Darien didn't know what else to say. What could he say, anyway?_

_Just as he was about to open the door, Mrs. Sterling spoke up. "She never hated you Darien." He turned back around. "She…she knew why you did what you did. Mind you, she never told us, but…she wasn't mad at you or bitter about the break up either. She still cared very deeply about you."_

"_Yes. She'd always ask us to ask your parents about you, and she was always so happy to see your name in the paper when you had won a case. She was…very proud of your success. She'd tell us how you were finally living your dream." Mr. Sterling sighed. "What we mean to say is that she never had any hard feelings against you. She had forgiven you a long time ago."_

* * *

He'd spent a lot of his time just staring at her, taking in every detail of her and engraving them into his memory.

'After all, this is probably the last time I'll see her like this.'

Darien immediately started talking to her again as soon as that thought crossed his mind. "Donovan told me something I couldn't believe. He told me that...you still loved me. That you always loved me and never stopped." He took her hand in his, and held it rather tightly. "Is that true Serena? After all this time that's gone by since we've seen each other, did you _really_ still have feelings for me?"

He stopped talking for a moment. He looked at her face, trying to find a reaction, anything, that would indicate she was still somewhat alive and not living off of machines. "You'd hate to see yourself like this. I know I do."

Still nothing. "Darn it, Serena!" He exclaimed. "Why have you given up?! Why aren't you fighting this?! Fighting for your life?! Don't realize everything that you have here, and everything you'll be leaving?! Your mom and dad are in so much pain seeing you like this! Andrew and Rita…they're hurt too! And what about your patients? And the Nolan family? They all adore you! Don't you think it would be unfair to all of them that you're giving up so easily?!"

He paused to take a deep breath, and let out a shaky sigh. "And don't you realize...out of everyone...that...that I'll miss you the most?" He asked helplessly. "I know I hurt you years ago. You never deserved to have your heart broken like that, and I'm so sorry. I wish I could've confessed this to you when you could actually hear me, but I have to do it now or never. I love you Serena. I love you so much! If I had the chance, I'd never let you go. I would promise you that. I just wish you would open your eyes, and that I could hear your sweet voice telling me that everything will be alright, that we'll be together again, and that you really do love me too."

Darien put his head down on the bed and began to cry. His body shook as he sobbed rather quietly. "I didn't give up on you this time, Serena. _Please_...don't give up on me now," he whispered, squeezing her hand.

**So this chapter was probably very confusing. Trust me! I had a hard time writing it! The trial was pretty crazy, in my opinion. If you guys have any questions or want some clarification, let me know by reviewing or private messaging. I'd be more than happy to give a good explanation of exactly what happened!**

**(By the way, the last chapter is in the process of being written! Can't exactly say when it'll be out though! Should be soon, hopefully) Thanks for reading!**


	17. Chapter 15

**Most of this chapter wasn't hard to write. I actually had it written about half a week ago. The part that I was really having a hard time with is the final flashback…Gosh! That was hard to write! And then I got distracted planning and writing a new fanfiction (it's Ace Attorney, if any of you guys are Ace Attorney fans out there!). I don't think it's great, but at this point, I feel that it's good enough! Anyway, this is the big chapter! The big reveal occurs here! (I just hope you guys don't get disappointed with the 'reason.' I am slightly worried about that). **

**_Disclaimer: Though this would be a dream come true, I DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON!_**

Chapter 15

Darien sat in his office, organizing his case files. 'Finally. Once I get everything all settled here, I can _finally _go on that two-month vacation I had to put off.'

It was late in the afternoon. Three weeks had gone by since that fateful trial ended. Darien had been helping some of the new recruits at the law office get settled in and even assisting them in trials they were involved in. Now though, his boss had told him that he absolutely needed to go on vacation.

Once he finished his organization, Darien looked out of his office window. 'Hm…what should I do on this vacation? Maybe I should visit Sere…no. No. I can't do that to myself. I'm…I'm not ready to face that yet…not now.' He sighed, running a hand through his hair. 'But how long can I put this off? I'm going to have to do it sooner or later…whether I want to or not. It'll be hard, but…it would also be disrespectful if I didn't…'

Darien pushed himself off his seat, gathered his things, and headed out the office door. After saying goodbye to his colleagues and his boss, he got into his car and drove off. As he was driving to his destination, he thought back to what had happened at the hospital that day he won the trial.

* * *

_Darien put his head down on the bed and began to cry. His body shook as he sobbed rather quietly. "I didn't give up on you this time, Serena. __Please__...don't give up on me now," he whispered, squeezing her hand._

_The doctor came into the room. "Oh…I'm sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Shields."_

_Darien looked up at the doctor. "Oh no. It's fine. I…just came to visit her…one last time." Darien wiped the tears off his face with his free hand. _

"_I understand, Mr. Shields." The doctor sighed. "Would you like me to step out?"_

"_Just for a minute, if you don't mind."_

"_Of course." The doctor stepped out. _

"_Well…I…I guess this is…goodbye, Serena." Darien hesitated for a moment before he stood up, still holding her hand. He leaned in close to her and brushed his lips against hers in a soft kiss. "I love you," he whispered. _

_Darien stood and went to release her hand from his grip. Even though he had released her hand, he found that it was still in his. "What…" Darien stared down at the clasped hands. He carefully pulled her hand off his. "I must be imagining things." Yet, he didn't leave. He just stood there, regarding her very closely. He could've swore he saw her move. _

"_Mr. Shields." The doctor came back in. "I'm afraid visitors hours are now over. I'll need you to leave." _

"_Right," Darien said, but he wasn't really listening. He was still solely focused on Serena. He quickly sat down, grasping her hand again. _

"_Mr. Shields. Please. You have to go now."_

_Darien felt a slight pressure on his hand. 'Is…she holding my hand?'_

"_Serena?"_

_The doctor sighed. "Mr. Shields. I'm afraid she won't wake up anymore. She's…she's leaving."_

_Darien shook his head. "No…no. I think…I think she's alive."_

"_Mr. Shields…"_

"_Serena…please! Open your eyes! Please."_

"_I will have to resort to calling security if you won't leave, Mr…" The doctor was cut off by a sound. "What was that?"_

_The two men were silent, and they heard what something. "Was that you, Dr…"_

"_No…" the doctor said, clearly shocked. "It wasn't me." Their eyes were on the dying patient in the bed._

_The girl moaned a little, and very, very, very slowly, and lifted her eyelids. She blinked a few times and let her eyes get adjusted to the light. She then turned her head slowly to the right hearing a gasp. "D...Darien? " She asked weakly, her voice hoarse and raspy._

"_It's…it's a miracle," the doctor declared._

_Darien stood up and took a few steps backwards away from the bed, letting go of her hand. And as he once did before, he ran._

* * *

Darien stood in front of a familiar house. He knocked on the door, and he heard someone coming from the inside. The door opened to reveal a remarkable sight. There, standing in front of him, alive and looking well, was Serena.

Her eyes widened immediately when she saw him. "D...Darien."

"Serena."

They stared at each other for a moment. He could see a myriad of emotions go through her eyes before she shook her head. "Forgive my rudeness! Please! Come in!" She ushered him inside and shut the door.

"Have a seat." She motioned to the small dining table in the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink? Like coffee?"

"Oh...um. Sure. Coffee would be nice. I'd like it..."

"Black," she stated as if it were obvious, but she turned slowly to look at him, her face uncertain. "Right?"

He nodded. "Right." He watched as she went to work making the coffee. "When did you get out of the hospital?"

"I got out just last week. I had to head straight to the police station, though, so that I could give the police my statement about what happened."

Darien nodded and sat there silently.

She made the coffee in about five minutes and set the cup in front of him as well as one for herself.

"Thanks." Darien took a sip of the coffee and sighed silently. She had taken a seat across from him and was sipping at her own drink.

"So...how are you doing?"

Serena looked up at him, setting her cup down. "I'm doing alright. It took me the full week to get back into a routine, but I've finally seemed to have gotten things back to normal, for the most part."

"That's good. And what about...your injury?"

Serena's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Darien then pointed to his own forehead, and Serena's eyes widened with recognition as she reached for her own forehead to touch and feel the bandage on it. "Oh right. It's healing. I still have to wear a bandage over it, especially when people see me; otherwise, they might freak out a little. It looks bad, but it'll be better soon enough."

They fell silent once more. "I…wanted to thank you."

"Thank me for what?"

"For helping Mr. Nolan, and finding him not guilty. He…came over with Mrs. Nolan and the girls to visit me at the hospital, and he told me I was right about you."

"He told me that you recommended me to him."

"I did."

"That was…nice of you."

She shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I'm just glad that he wasn't convicted. Even now, I can't believe he had to be in jail because of me…" Serena sighed. "But that's all over now."

"So…when are you going back to work?"

"Well, personally, I think it'd be perfectly okay for me to go back to work in about two weeks; my doctor, however, says I can't work for the next two months."

"So are you going to go back in two weeks?"

"I was going to, but I can't. Knowing that I would, my doctor wrote a note explicitly saying I am _not _allowed to work for the next two months, so it's not like I have much of a choice in the situation."

They fell quiet once more. "You…you're stilling wearing it."

"Wearing what?"

"The ring."

Serena looked at her finger, where the object was still there. "Oh…that."

"I…thought you might have gotten rid of it."

"I…didn't."

"Why?"

"No reason."

He stared at her long and hard, but she wouldn't make eye contact with him. She got up and held her cup. "Are you finished?"

"Oh yeah. Here." He handed her the cup and watched as she headed over to the sink.

'She isn't even looking at me.'

All of a sudden, he noticed that a hand went to her head and doubled over. She looked as if she was going to fall. He jumped up to his feet and went over towards her before she fell straight to the ground. Holding onto her, he eased her down to the floor, sitting on her knees.

"Are you alright?!" He asked urgently.

"Yes, I'm fine," she reassured, even though she was still clutching her head in her hands.

"You need to be more careful, Serena."

"It's alright. Getting dizzy and feeling faint… it's a normal thing."

"Are you sure? Maybe you should go see a doctor."

"No, no. That's not necessary. I'll be fine. I just need more time to heal." She looked up at him, and gave him a small smile. "Thanks, though."

Her eyes finally looked into his, and they stayed like that for a good half minute. Darien moved in closer to her, only her for her to turn her head away. She attempted to get up, and Darien lent her a hand.

"Thanks," she mumbled when she was finally on her feet again.

"Don't mention it."

They stood awkwardly in her kitchen, a good three feet away from each other. She motioned for him to follow her as she exited the kitchen. "Let's move into the living room." Once they reached there, Darien stood at one end with Serena at the other.

"You…you aren't mad at me, are you?"

Serena gave him a look. "What do you mean if I'm mad at you?"

"You're not…mad about…what I did, back then."

"No, I'm not."

"Why aren't you mad?"

"Because I know why you did it."

"You…do?" Darien had not expected to hear her say that.

She sighed heavily. "I expected that we would be having this conversation. I just didn't imagine we would be having it so soon." She shook her head.

"I had a dream," she began rather quietly. He looked up at her. She stood next to the glass door, the one that had once been broken. "Once. It was about a year after we..." She didn't finish, but he knew exactly what she was talking about. "It was of our past lives...on the moon and the Earth." She turned her head towards him. "You've seen them too, haven't you?" It was more like a statement than a question.

He nodded slowly. She nodded once. "This first one was of my youth on the moon. Later on, they progressed through time rapidly. Most of the dreams I had were of the relationship I, the Moon Princess, had with the Earth Prince...You." She hugged herself tightly.

"We were happy together." She placed a hand on the glass. It was cold. "And that's what ruined everything."

Darien looked up at her once more. "Our relationship...our love...it was forbidden. Our families...they didn't know how severe the consequences would actually be, only that there would be some issues. They weren't aware at all. So even though they were a bit hesitant initially to accept our love, they supported us and were willing to fulfil our wishes and have us wed. But...none of that was to happen. We were never supposed to be friends, much more lovers. Before anyone had truly come to make this realization, it was too late. We couldn't turn back and deny our love for one another, and the future had already set its course. It was when we starting to plan the wedding of the millennium as everyone dubbed it, our wedding, that disaster struck." She sighed.

"The people of the Earth had been manipulated by the evil force which then caused them to turn against the Moon Kingdom and caused your mother and father's deaths. Then...the dark forces came to the moon, and...we all...died."

"But luckily, we were somehow reborn here on Earth...a thousand years later. And there's currently no evil trying to take over the world and what not. The girls...Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina. They were part of my court, and princesses of their own respective planets. And the guys. Zack, Jadeite, Nathan, and Malcolm...they were your generals, and your closest friends, as the girls were mine. Thomas was my brother back then too and your best friend, and Sabrina the duchess he was courting, who happened to be just like a sister to me. They were both killed on the Moon as well, when we were."

Serena shook her head. "But finally. At long last, now, we're all living in a time and place of peace and harmony."

Darien didn't really know what to say to her. Quite frankly, he wasn't sure why she mentioned the whole story.

"However, there is still a potential threat that could manifest itself and put this world in great danger once again."

Darien's eyes widened as he stared at her. She had now turned to lean against the glass, her head down.

She slowly lifted her head up. "You know what that is. Don't you Darien?"

Darien nodded. He wished he didn't know, but he did. He knew exactly what that was.

* * *

_Darien walked down the hall of the apartment building, whistling a happy little tune. He finally reached apartment number 2014. He knocked on the door and opened. "Hey boys! I got your message…oh." Darien stopped when he saw that it wasn't just the boys that were inside the apartment, but the girls were there, too. They all looked serious. Too serious. _

"_Um…so what's going on here? Some kind of party?" Darien joked. No one laughed. _

'_Well, this isn't awkward,' he thought sarcastically to himself. _

"_Darien." His eyes went to Malcolm. "How about you sit down? You want something to drink?"_

"_Um…no thanks." Darien did as he was told. _

"_Darien. We know about you and Serena." He turned to Nate._

_Darien's eyes widening were a dead giveaway. "You…but…how?" _

"_That's not important. What _is _important is that you disobeyed us," Jadeite scolded. _

"_You, and Serena too," Raye added. _

"_Please don't blame Serena. _I _was the one who sort of pushed her to go ahead with it. She was always worried about going behind your guys' backs." _

"_And yet, she did just that, didn't she?" Mina answered, sounding betrayed. _

"_Look guys. I'm sorry. We're both sorry. But…what's the big deal?! You guys are all dating each other, so it's only natural that we end up together, too." _

"_No, it isn't," Zack replied. _

"_What do you mean?" _

"_You…and Serena…being together. It _isn't _natural, Darien." Amy explained. _

"_I…I don't follow." _

"_Darien…we need you to listen to us very carefully and answer our questions honestly. Have you ever had a dream before? A dream, where you were a Prince?"_

"_Now what does that have to do with anything?" Darien countered, a little embarrassed to admit to Thomas and the others that he did._

"_It has to do with everything. And don't interrupt!" Thomas continued the line of questioning. "You're Prince of the Earth. You grow up, and you fall madly in love with the Princess from the Moon."_

"_How…how did you know about my dream?" Darien asked slowly, not sure if he should be feeling scared or very embarrassed. _

"_So you did? And this Princess…does she look like…someone you know?" Lita asked. "Someone we _all _know?"_

"_Yes…I didn't really think about it much before, but she looks exactly like..."_

"_Serena?" Sabrina completed his sentence. Darien nodded. "Good. So you did have the dream?" _

"_But it's just a dream. It's probably something I thought up of because I'm with Serena."_

"_Darien," Nate began. "That isn't just a dream." _

"_What are you saying?" _

"_That…was your past life." _

"_Malcolm! You can't be serious!" _

"_Oh yeah? Then let me tell you all of the other dreams you've had, shall I?" _

_Darien listened as Malcolm described every dream Darien saw, especially the ones where the Moon Kingdom was attacked, and the Prince and Princess were killed._ _He had also touched upon the fact that they were all in his dreams too._

"_How…did you know?" Darien finally asked. _

"_We're from that past life, Darien. We were all reborn here on Earth. It just so happens that we got our memories of the past before you and Serena," Amy clarified. _

"_Okay. So what? What's the point that I'm obviously missing here?" _

_Zack cleared his throat. "Darien…you and Serena. Rather, the Prince and the Princess…their love…it was forbidden." _

"_F…forbidden?" _

"_Yes, forbidden." Nate took over. "You two weren't supposed to ever meet, let alone fall in love." _

"_And…it's because you fell in love with each other," Lita started. _

"_That the Silver Millennium, the time in which we lived in, was destroyed forever," Raye finished._

"_What?" Darien asked quietly. "No way." He looked at the group. "But what does that have to do with us in present day?" _

"_Everything Darien," Jadeite answered. _

"_Darien. We want you and Serena to break up…because if you two continue this forbidden relationship, this world we live in…It'll cease to exist." _

"_You don't mean what I think you do Thomas."_

"_He does. Darien. You and Serena can't be together. If you are, everything will be destroyed again," Sabrina stated firmly. _

"_NO!" Darien yelled, standing up. "That's just a tale! It's not real!"_

"_You can't deny what happened in the past Darien! You've seen dreams about it yourself!" Zack countered. _

"_Okay, sure. The past happened. But who's to say that the same thing will happen again?! I refuse to break up with Serena!" _

"_Think of it this way, Darien. Who's to say the same thing _won't _happen again." Darien proud stance faltered a little with Nate's words. "What's more…if it just so happens that the world is destroyed, a certain someone will be destroyed too, as she once was so long ago." _

_Darien looked up, fear in his eyes. "You…you don't mean…"_

"_Yes. He means Serena." Malcolm stood up now and walked to Darien. "You've got to do the right thing Darien. You've got to end this relationship you have with Serena once and for all!" _

"_I…I…I don't know!" Darien ran out of his friends' apartment. He ran as fast as he could out of the building and continued running until he tired himself out. He found himself at the garden, standing in front of the waterfall, behind which was his and Serena's secret hideout. He stared at the waterfall, preoccupied. _

'_I can't break up with her. I don't want to! I love her so much! But…what…what if they're right? What if the world does become destroyed because we're together? And worse, what if _she's _destroyed?! I…I don't think I could live with myself knowing I was the cause of that. Even if it means we won't be together, and I'll be breaking her heart…I have no other choice.'_

_Darien had made his mind._

* * *

Darien shook himself out of his reverie, and then remembered what everyone had told him. "So…you forgave me?"

"Yes, I did. I initially did forgive you, even though I didn't understand why you broke up with me. Once I saw the dreams, I realized that what you did was the right thing, and I couldn't hold that against you."

Darien smiled. "I'm glad to know you didn't hate me for doing that to you."

"I could never hate you, Darien."

"I know you couldn't. And…I know I hurt you a long time ago, but…now I know I have a second chance."

"A second chance?"

"Yeah." He walked over to her as she watched him carefully. "A second chance to be with you again." He took her hands in his.

"Wait. What?!"

"Don't you get it? I want us to get back together."

"T…together…You…and me?"

"Yes. I…thought about this for a long time. I wouldn't have felt so confident, if I didn't know that you still loved me."

"Whoa. Hold it right there. Whoever said I was still in love with you?"

"Donovan told me. He said that after trying to go out with you, you told him that you still loved me."

"I just told him that to get him to stop asking me out."

"What?" Darien retracted. "You…you don't expect me to believe that, do you?"

"I do."

"No way…you…you still love me." He looked her directly in the eyes. "Don't you?"

She avoided his gaze skillfully. "Darien, it's complicated."

"So you do love me!"

"No, no! That's not what I meant!" She exhaled loudly. "I…I may have loved you once, but…"

"But?"

"You can't expect me to just welcome you with open arms and resume our relationship." She looked away. "Despite knowing why you did what you did, I was hurt. Really hurt, especially before I had the dreams. I…I couldn't stand being away from you. For the longest time, all I did was think about you, and why you didn't love me anymore. I was heartbroken," she whispered softly.

"Serena," he began, but he let her continue.

"But…eventually, I realized that I had to move on from that. For myself and everyone else. And I finally did. I was able to actually move on in my life, especially when I got my medical license. Then, a year after we broke up, I had the dream. It…it freaked me out initially, but I finally knew the _real _reason why you broke up with me, and I respected that reason."

"So…what are you trying to say?"

"Darien...asking for a relationship...that's too much. I...I don't think I can handle that. Not now."

Darien nodded his head, looking away; however, he looked back at her as she spoke again.

"That being said...I would like to still be friends with you again." She gazed up at him. "If that's okay."

Darien didn't even need to think for a moment. "Sure."

"Really?" She asked, her eyebrows going up in surprise.

He nodded, and then extended his hand towards her. "Friends?"

"Yes. Friends." She slowly reached out her hand and shook his. "_Just_ friends."

**The end! It's done. All over! No more! Complete! **

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_**Unless **_**you guys want an epilogue or a sequel written. Let me know by reviewing or private messaging.**


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